A tragic incident came to light in Texas when a 10-year-old boy confessed to using his grandfather's gun to fatally shoot a sleeping man in 2022, just a week before his 8th birthday. The victim, Brandon O'Quinn Rasberry, 32, was shot once in the head at an RV park in Nixon, Texas. The case had initially gone cold until recent revelations by the child.
The child's disclosure came during a threat assessment at his school, where he mentioned the shooting incident from two years ago. This prompted authorities to reopen the investigation into Rasberry's death. The child recounted how he had found the gun in his grandfather's truck, entered Rasberry's RV, and shot him while he was sleeping.
Despite the tragic nature of the crime, the child, who was 7 years old at the time of the incident, cannot be held legally responsible under Texas law. As a result, the Gonzales County Attorney's Office will not pursue murder charges in the case.
Following the revelations, the child was placed on a 72-hour emergency detention and later taken for evaluation and treatment at a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio. Subsequently, he was booked on charges related to a separate school bus incident for making a terroristic threat.
The firearm used in the shooting was traced back to a pawn shop in Seguin, Texas, where the child's grandfather had pawned it. A forensic analysis confirmed that the gun matched the one used in Rasberry's death.
The authorities, including the Gonzales County Juvenile Probation, Texas Department of Child Protective Services, and Gonzales County Attorney's Office, collaborated in the investigation. The child will remain in detention until his court date, as per the release from the sheriff's office.
