The juvenile was 12 when Matthew Davis was fatally shot outside a Keene restaurant.
KEENE, Texas — A Johnson County jury found a boy delinquent in the murder of Sonic employee Matthew Davis after police said the child shot him multiple times during a parking lot fight in May 2023.
The finding was the juvenile court version of a guilty verdict. Authorities did not release the boy’s name because of his age. Davis, 32, had been working at the Sonic Drive-In in Keene, a small city south of Fort Worth, when the confrontation turned deadly.
Police said the shooting happened just before 10 p.m. on May 13, 2023. Investigators said Davis went outside after Angel Gomez, then 20, began urinating in the restaurant parking lot. Davis and Gomez argued, and the dispute became physical. Police said the boy, who was in Gomez’s vehicle, got an AR-style rifle and opened fire, striking Davis several times.
Davis was taken to a hospital and later died. Gomez and the boy left the scene, police said. Gomez later returned and was arrested. Officers found the boy in Rio Vista, where they also recovered firearms. Gomez was charged in connection with the case, including tampering with evidence tied to the rifle.
Jurors reached the delinquency finding in October 2023 after hearing the murder case in Johnson County. In juvenile court, the finding carried the same weight as a conviction but kept the child’s name sealed. The case drew attention because of the boy’s age, the use of an AR-style rifle and the public setting of the shooting.
A judge later sentenced the boy, who had turned 13, to 12 years in custody. The sentence placed him first with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, with the possibility of later transfer to the adult prison system. Prosecutors had said the punishment range could have included probation or a term of up to 40 years.
Davis’ family said he had recently moved to Keene and had started working at the Sonic. He left behind a fiancée and a young son. A memorial grew near the restaurant after the shooting, with flowers, a cross and stuffed animals placed in Davis’ memory.
The case continued beyond the juvenile sentence. In 2025, Ashley Marmolejo Gomez, identified by police as the boy’s aunt, pleaded guilty to murder after authorities said she armed the child before the shooting. She was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.