GARLAND, Texas — A 14-year-old boy has been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of three teens at a North Texas convenience store, authorities said Wednesday.
Abel Elias Acosta is being sought by police, remains at large and is “armed and dangerous,” according to a news release from the Garland Police Department.
“It is typically not the practice of the Garland Police Department to release juvenile information, but due to the nature of the offense and potential risk to the public, the court has authorized the release of his information,” the news release stated.
Garland police said they had evidence showing that Acosta killed Xavier Gonzalez, 14, Ivan Noyala, 16, and Rafael Garcia, 17, according to The Dallas Morning News. A fourth teen, a 15-year-old who was a cook at the convenience store, was wounded in the attack, the newspaper reported.
Police have not released the cook’s name.
Garland Police originally detained another 14-year-old boy into custody Monday but later released him, saying he was not the shooter, the Morning News reported.
>> 3 teens dead, 1 injured after shooting at Texas convenience store
According to authorities, the victims were near the restaurant at the front of the store when the gunman, believed to be Acosta, exited a white Dodge four-door pickup and began shooting as he walked through the store’s door, WFAA-TV reported.
At least one of the victims was the shooter’s intended target, Lt. Pedro Barineau, a spokesperson for the police department, told reporters. Investigators have determined Gonzalez and the cook were not intended targets, according to the Morning News.
Acosta is the son of Richard Acosta, 33, who turned himself in to police Monday, according to the Garland Police Department’s news release.
Richard Acosta is also charged with capital murder for allegedly acting as a getaway driver for his son, police said.
The shooting occurred at a Texaco convenience store in Garland at about 7:30 p.m. CST on Sunday, KDFW-TV reported.
Prosecutors will determine whether Abel Acosta will be charged as a minor or an adult, Barineau told reporters.
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