A 12-year-old was found delinquent on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a Sonic employee earlier this year in Keene, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
This verdict, decided by a jury Thursday after nearly seven hours of deliberation in a juvenile court, is the equivalent of being found guilty.
The trial lasted three days but was not open to the public because of the boy’s age. His identity still has not been released.
A judge is scheduled to sentence the preteen on Thursday.
“Please understand there is much more than what we can speak of due to the suspect being a minor and additional charges and trials possible in the future,” the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sunday news release.
Officers responded about 9:40 p.m. May 13 to the Sonic on Old Betsy Road and found the victim, 32-year-old Matthew Davis, lying in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds. Davis later died at a hospital, leaving behind an elementary-aged son.
Witnesses told police Angel Gomez, 20, was urinating near the property when employees, including Davis, confronted him. The argument became physical and that’s when, according to police, a 12-year-old with Gomez went to their vehicle, retrieved an AR-style gun and shot Davis at least six times.
The boy, the boy’s aunt and Gomez — who is the boy’s uncle — left the scene before police arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
Gomez later returned and was arrested, and police found the preteen in Rio Vista and took him into custody. Gomez’s murder charge is pending.