12-year-old Texas boy convicted of using AR-style rifle to shoot, kill Sonic worker

A jury in Texas has found a 12-year-old boy delinquent of murder in the shooting of a Sonic fast-food chain employee this spring.

The boy, who is from Fort Worth, was convicted in the May 13 death of 32-year-old Matthew Davis at the drive-in restaurant in Keene, about 40 miles southwest of downtown Dallas.

Jurors deliberated for seven hours on Thursday before finding the boy guilty following a three-day trial in Johnson County Court, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office announced on social media Sunday.

The boy, whose name is not being released due to his age, is set to be sentenced this week, the agency posted.

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Sentencing set Thursday

The Johnson County District Attorney's Office could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY to say what the boy faces when sentenced.

The boy and a co-defendant, Angel Gomez, of Fort Worth, were charged in the shooting. The sheriff's office identified Gomez as the boy's uncle.

Court records were not available for Gomez on Monday to determine the status of his case.

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Shot with an AR-style .22 rifle

According to the Keene Police Department, Davis worked at the Sonic and, about 9:40 p.m. that day, confronted Gomez for "being disorderly in the parking lot."

A physical fight broke out, police said in a statement, and the boy shot Davis multiple times with an AR-style .22 rifle while the boy was sitting in the back seat of Gomez's vehicle.

Police Chief James Kidd previously told USA TODAY at least six shots struck the victim.

Arriving officers found Davis suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  He was transported to a hospital, then taken by medical helicopter to another facility where he died. 

The boy and Gomez fled the area with the weapon.

According to the police report, Gomez returned to the scene after the shooting and was arrested.

The sheriff's office reported an investigation led officers to a location about 20 miles south in Rio Vista, Texas where they located the boy and took him into custody. Police also recovered several firearms at the scene, the agency reported.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.