• Source: 2021 Garland shooting

      • On December 26, 2021, a mass shooting took place at a Texaco convenience store in Garland, Texas. 14-year-old Abel Acosta, armed with a .40-caliber pistol, opened fire on several teenagers, killing 3 and seriously injuring one other.


      Shooting


      At 8:50 PM, a white truck with two occupants pulled up to a Texaco-owned convenience store in Garland. Acosta exited the passenger side of the vehicle, and walked behind the truck, positioning himself on one of the exterior walls of the store. Acosta walked up to the front door, and stopped before ducking under a window. Seconds later, Acosta got up, opened the entrance door and stuck his arm inside of the building, before firing 20 rounds from a 40-caliber pistol with an extended magazine.
      The first person shot was Xavier Gonzalez, who was shot multiple times by Acosta, and he was seriously injured. Acosta then stepped inside of the store, where he stood above Gonzalez and shot him in the head, instantly killing him. Acosta then shot at Ivan Noyala and Rafael Garcia, both of whom had already been injured when Acosta first opened fire on people inside of the store. As both attempted to flee, they were shot in the back and were fatally wounded. After firing several shots at them, Acosta shot at another teenager named David Rodriguez who was an employee in the store, injuring him in the chest. Acosta then ran back to the white truck, and the vehicle sped off.
      Xavier Gonzalez was shot 10 times, Ivan Nayala was shot 4 times, and Rafael Garcia was shot 2 times, including once in the heart.


      Aftermath




      = Victims

      =
      The three victims of the shooting were between the ages of 14 and 17. The youngest, Xavier Gonzalez, was believed to have been uninvolved with Acosta prior to the shooting.


      = Trial

      =
      Although Abel Acosta is still wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the shooting, the driver of the white truck, identified as Abel's father Richard Acosta Jr., turned himself in the day after the shooting and was arrested for facilitating the attack and acting as a getaway driver. In February 2022, Acosta Jr. was indicted by the Dallas County court on a capital murder charge, which can carry the death sentence in the state of Texas. In February 2023, Acosta Jr. was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.


      Perpetrator


      Abel Acosta was 14 years old at the time of the shooting. The reason why he carried out the shooting is disputed, but it is believed to have been because of prior conflict between him and Ivan Noyala, who would die in the shooting. After the attack, Acosta fled from authorities and is believed to be in Mexico.


      See also


      2022 Phoenix shooting, another filmed mass shooting in Arizona the year prior
      List of filmed mass shootings


      References

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