A 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a 24-year-old man during an argument at a party in Lavon in Collin County was arrested without incident in Dallas, authorities said Monday night.
Police described the case as a murder investigation. Specific charges were not immediately released due to the suspect’s juvenile status.
Lavon police identified the victim as Romeo English, of Rowlett, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene in the 700 block of Wellington Drive in the Crestridge Meadows neighborhood. The shooting stemmed from an altercation between the two acquaintances shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, according to police.
The teenage suspect, identified by school officials as a student within Community ISD, fled before officers arrived. Community Independent School District officials confirmed his enrollment and, as a precaution while the search was underway, closed that campus along with Dodson and NeSmith elementary schools to visitors on Monday.
“A murder is a very rare thing in our city, so it’s shocking,” Lavon Police Chief J. Michael Jones said, CBS News reported. “And it’s even more shocking that this suspect is a 14-year-old.”
Earlier Monday, before the arrest, Jones had appealed directly to the boy and anyone assisting him.
“It’s very concerning,” the chief said, per NBC 5 DFW. “We certainly know a basic level of what happened, but what I would say to the suspect and anybody that might be harboring the suspect or aiding him in his flight — first off, turn him in. Turn him in right away. Bring him in so we can talk to him and let him tell his side of the story.”
He added, per CBS News, “I will find you. I will investigate you, and I will put you in jail.” Investigators pursued leads at locations tied to the suspect and had evidence suggesting he had left the area, Jones said.
After the capture, police expressed gratitude to assisting agencies, including the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Louisiana State Police, sheriff’s offices in Collin, Dallas, and Bossier Parish counties, police departments in Shreveport, Wylie, Josephine, and Community ISD, and the Lavon Fire Department.