"He indicated that everything was all right," Sgt. C.T. Mosqueda, a Houston police homicide detective, told the Houston Chronicle for its Thursday editions.
When officers arrived at the home about three minutes later, they found the woman dead on the couch. Her husband was found lying on the living room floor. A pistol was in his hand, police said.
Their identities were withheld pending notification of kin.
Officers said the couple has a young daughter who was at school at the time of the shootings. She's now being cared for by relatives.