A Lubbock County grand jury has indicted a teenager arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in May.
Bryson Thomas, 17, is charged with murder in the fatal May 8 shooting of 32-year-old Infant of Davila, whose body was found along Interstate 27 under the North Loop 289 overpass.
Murder is a first-degree crime punishable by a prison sentence of five years to life in prison.
The charges come a week after a Lubbock judge certified Thomas, who was 16 at the time of his arrest, to be tried as an adult.
Thomas is one of two people arrested in connection with Davila’s death.
Donovan Sanchez, 19, is charged with tampering with evidence as a result of the Lubbock County Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit investigation.
Their charges stem from a Lubbock Special Crimes Unit investigation that began after police responded to a 3:25 a.m. report of a collision.
Officers soon learned that Davila died of a gunshot wound.
The subsequent investigation by the Lubbock Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit revealed that Davila and Thomas were passengers in a vehicle that Sanchez was driving, according to an arrest warrant.
Sánchez allegedly told investigators he was driving Davila, a friend of his mother, home, according to an arrest warrant. He said Davila lived on the south side of town, but did not give his address.
Sánchez said he asked Thomas, whom he called “Bugie,” to come with him.
However, Sánchez did not know that there was already a disagreement between Thomas and Davila.
During the trip, he said Davila, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, began berating Thomas, who was in the backseat.
He said the argument between Thomas and Davila escalated to the point where he pulled the car over and told Davila to get out of the car. However, he said Davila refused to get out and became more aggressive and began reaching under his seat, the warrant said.
Sánchez told investigators that he told Davila to stop “reaching” because it made him anxious.
He said Davila took off his cap and glasses and reached under his chair before turning toward Thomas, who shot him, the warrant said.
Sánchez said he panicked, opened Davila’s door, pushed him out of the car and drove away.
During Thomas’ hearing, his attorney, Jim Shaw, argued that his client was a 16-year-old boy who was placed in a situation no child should be in the night he encountered Davila, an adult with a history of abuse.
Court records show Davila was arrested about a week before the shooting after his ex-girlfriend reported he had hit her.
“Davila was very aggressive with everyone he dealt with that night,” Shaw said.
Shaw alluded to the police report that said Thomas feared for his life because he believed Davila reached for a gun under his seat before quickly turning toward him.
However, investigators did not find a weapon on Davila, nor did they find a gun in the vehicle.
Thomas was initially held at the Lubbock Juvenile Justice Center, but was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center about two months later on an unrelated assault case.
He remains held in jail and his bond has been set at $100,000.
This article originally appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock teen, certified as an adult, charged in fatal shooting
