Local media reports confirm the child was home alone at around 7 a.m. It was then that the young man detected someone attempting to gain entry through the front door.
He then saw a man described as wearing gloves and a backpack.
The teenager’s parents were gone, having just left to drop his siblings off at school for the day. It is obvious he was left with no choice but to act. Investigators said he grabbed a handgun and fired several shots at the man attempting to enter the residence.
Neighbor Araceli Herrera witnessed the frightening incident. She told reporters that she saw the boy at the door firing shots at the alleged intruder and watched as he collapsed.
Herrera said the obviously frightened boy’s mother returned home shortly after the violent confrontation, and she saw the young man hand the weapon over to his mother.
Ring doorbell footage captured video images of the man walking up to the family home and then allegedly attempting to break in through the front door.
Investigators are working to determine the details of the case. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters, “We’re still trying to confirm if [the alleged robber] had opened the door, or unlocked the door, or [was] just pulling back and forth on the doorknob.”
Homeless Outreach reported the suspect was a Hispanic man in his late 20s or early 30s.
Charges have not been filed in the shooting, and police noted the teenager is cooperating with investigators. The Sheriff’s Office said its findings will be presented to a grand jury for determination on the justification of the shooting.
Any loss of life is tragic, but it is virtually impossible to expect the frightened young man to react any differently than he did in this confrontation. The only logical response is to assume the threat is deadly, and it may well have been.
