14-Year-Old Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of 15-Year-Old Outside Westfield High School
HOUSTON, Texas – A 14-year-old has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a 15-year-old student who was attacked while walking outside Westfield High School, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a shooting call at approximately 2:45 p.m. Sept. 23 in the 16700 block of Ella Boulevard.
They found 15-year-old Royce Witchet unresponsive on a sidewalk outside Westfield High School with apparent gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel transported Witchet to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses told investigators that Witchet had been walking along the sidewalk from the school when a male dressed in all black approached him and opened fire before fleeing on foot, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
HCSO homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to investigate the shooting.
Detectives subsequently identified a 14-year-old boy as the suspected shooter. Because the suspect is a juvenile, the Sheriff’s Office did not release his name.
After investigators consulted with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors accepted a murder charge against the juvenile in connection with Witchet’s death.
Members of the HCSO Violent Crime Apprehension Team later located the 14-year-old and took him into custody without incident. He was placed in the custody of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Office.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive or said whether Witchet and the accused shooter knew each other.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
