On Saturday night in Keene, a restaurant employee named Matthew Davis, aged 32, and a loving father, lost his life after being fatally shot during a confrontation.
The Sonic Drive-In on Old Betsy Road has become a place of remembrance, as flowers and a cross adorn its surroundings, symbolizing the collective grief and sorrow felt by the community.
From NBCDFW:
According to a statement from Keene Police, the shooting happened at about 9:40 p.m. Angel Gomez, 20, went to the Sonic with several passengers and was acting "disorderly" in the parking lot when Davis confronted him for urinating in the parking lot, Keene Police Chief James Kidd said.
The confrontation turned physical and a 12-year-old who was in Gomez’s car pulled out an assault rifle and fired six rounds at Davis, Kidd said.
Davis was struck multiple times and was taken by an air ambulance to a nearby hospital, but he did not survive.
Gomez and the 12-year-old fled the area, but Gomez eventually returned to the scene and was taken into custody. Police tracked the 12-year-old to Rio Vista where he was arrested.
The 12-year-old's name is not being released because he is a minor. Both he and Gomez are being charged with murder.
The restaurant remained closed Monday while neighbors stopped by to leave flowers. Resident Jane Baggett said she felt compelled to do something.
“I wish there was more that we could do, but right now if they could just see that support and love, and maybe, even if we didn’t know him, [know] his life mattered to many of us,” Baggett said.
A GoFundMe has been started to help Davis’ family cover funeral costs and support his 10-year-old son.
This is such a tragic and senseless crime, leaving us with numerous lingering questions: Why did the 12-year-old have access to a semi-automatic rifle? And why was it present in the vehicle?
Hopefully, these pressing inquiries will find answers in due course.
