Police say a man shot and killed one of his girlfriend's young sons and critically injured another inside a South Texas hotel room.

Laredo police spokesman Joe Baeza says the man was arrested Tuesday after the shooting at the Holiday Inn-Civic Center. He says police were "fearing the worst" for the children's mother, who did not check into the hotel with the boys.

Baeza says police went to the hotel around midday after receiving a call suggesting the children and their mother could be in trouble. After knocking on the hotel room door and identifying themselves as police, officers heard several immediate shots. Baeza says one came through the door and narrowly missed two officers.

Baeza says officers entered the room, found the boys and arrested their mother's boyfriend inside.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

An infant and a toddler were shot to death in a South Texas hotel room Tuesday and a man officers found in the room with them was arrested, police said.

Officers still were looking for the boys' 28-year-old mother, Brandy Cerny, and "fearing the worst," Laredo Police spokesman Joe Baeza said.

Police went to the Holiday Inn-Civic Center after receiving a call from someone in El Campo, a city more than 200 miles northeast of Laredo, saying that Cerny may have checked in there and that the family might be in some kind of trouble, Baeza said.

The hotel desk directed officers to a room on the 14th floor, where they knocked, identified themselves as police and immediately heard several shots, Baeza said. Some of the shots came through the room's door, he said.

Police cleared the building, which was packed with a convention, then entered the room and arrested the man. Baeza said the man's relationship to the family wasn't immediately clear and that he didn't speak to officers before his arrest.

The infant was declared dead at the scene, while the toddler was taken the hospital and died a short time later, Baeza said.