A former CFL linebacker and his wife have been fatally shot in their Houston, Texas home, and the couple's 16-year-old son has been charged as a juvenile in the killings.

Police say they discovered the couple around 2 a.m. on Friday. Dawn Armstrong was pronounced dead at the scene and her husband Antonio Armstrong died later in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.

Antonio Armstrong played football for Texas A&M before being drafted by the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 1995. He played only four games with the team.

After being briefly signed to the St. Louis Rams, Armstrong joined the CFL’s B.C. Lions in 1998. Armstrong was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2000. An ankle fracture that year would be a leading factor in his retirement. Armstrong last played for the Blue Bombers at the 2001 Grey Cup.

After retiring from professional football, Armstrong operated a fitness company chain in Houston with his wife. The couple also has a 20-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, who were home at the time of the shootings. The siblings were unhurt, police said.

"Antonio was a special young man,” Armstrong’s coach at Texas A&M, R.C. Slocum, said in a written statement on Saturday. “He was an All-American and an outstanding player, but he was an even better person. He was such a positive influence on his teammates. He always had a great big smile and was a joy to coach."

With files from The Associated Press