A juvenile is one of three people in custody and facing a murder charge in connection with a fatal shooting that killed a 16-year-old high school student and injured his cousin last Friday, Fort Worth Police say.
Officials with the Fort Worth Police Department said they, along with help from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, identified and arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of Zechariah Trevino.
On Monday morning, Fort Worth Police said investigators had taken two of the suspects into custody and that one remained at large. By Monday afternoon, police said all three suspects had been arrested.
The three suspects have been identified by police as 17-year-old Daniel Reed, 17-year-old Isaiah Nunez, and a 16-year-old juvenile male who will not be identified due to his age. Police said all three have been charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims and their families, and it is our hope that these arrests can provide them with a sense of justice as they begin to cope with this tragedy," police said Monday after announcing the arrests.
Trevino was outside the Whataburger restaurant along the 2400 block of W. Berry Street, near the Paschal High School campus, when a verbal altercation between a group of people escalated into gunfire. Trevino was shot multiple times and later died at an area hospital. His female cousin was also seriously injured, though she survived her wounds after being shot in the leg and torso.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by NBC 5, a comment on Instagram led to the deadly shooting and the three suspects went to the Whataburger armed with a purpose and targeted both victims.
Police say none of the three suspects in the shooting are current students at Paschal High School, though the arrest warrant states Nunez was identified as a former student at the school.
Reed is currently in the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on bonds totaling $350,000. It's not clear if Reed has obtained an attorney. Information on Nunez has not yet been updated online.
Zechariah's mother, Erica Trevino, told NBC 5 on Sunday her son died trying to do the right thing and that through her faith she's been able to forgive the shooter.
"He seen [sic] somebody getting hurt and he ran to that and jumped in the way and you know, that's why we're here today," Trevino said. "He tried to do his best to protect somebody and instead it took his life. But God has a purpose for everything."
A candlelight vigil was held Monday night on the front lawn of University United Methodist Church on Berry Street. After the vigil, the clergy was positioned inside the sanctuary to offer prayer. Counselors were also in the lobby for conversation. A banner has been hung along Forest Park facing Paschal where students and community members can write notes, feelings, and words of hope.
At the vigil, Erica Trevino said she forgave the people responsible for her son's death.
"I’m going to pray for you, and I forgive you with everything that I have in me. And I only hope you find your way from here," she said.
As a community mourns, Erica Trevino holds tight to her son’s memory and what he always told his family before his life ended.
“No man left behind. That’s what he would always say. So, I think we take that, and we run with that today. That’s what we’re using to survive,” she said.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information about the shooting, including any video of the fight or shooting, is asked to call Fort Worth Police detectives at 817-392-4330.
FORT WORTH CHIEF DECRIES SENSELESS VIOLENCE
Speaking to reporters Friday evening, Fort Worth Chief of Police Neil Noakes described the fatal shooting as "senseless" and said, "I'm angry. There is no reason for any young person, a student in high school, to lose their life at such a young age.
"This is another example of senseless, tragic violence that never had to happen," Noakes said. "Unfortunately it involved some very young people right here in the city of Fort Worth."
Noakes offered a message to all young people:
"The lack of importance put on human life, the sanctity of human life is staggering to me,” Noakes said. “What I'd like to say to those young people is, you have so much more to live for and so do those you might have a problem with. Whatever the conflict is, a gun is not the answer."
