Police identified an 18-year-old charged with capital murder in the death of a 12-year-old boy in the Sunnyside neighborhood on Monday night.
Kahlis Willis was arrested on Tuesday after police said he shot and killed the child, identified by family as Fred Johnson, in what may have been a targeted attack. Houston police had been searching for him since the boy’s death.
UPDATE: Booking photo of Kahlis Willis, 18, now charged with capital murder in this fatal shooting.
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The deadly shooting happened around 11 p.m. Monday outside of an apartment complex at 4103 Barberry Drive near Scott Street, according to HPD.
Police said Fred was walking home with his friends when they got into an argument with the 18-year-old suspect. It’s unclear what the argument was about, but HPD said it got heated and escalated before the deadly shots were fired.
The suspect, later identified as Willis, fled after the shooting, HPD said. He was later taken into custody without incident on Tuesday.
Investigators spoke to one of Fred’s friends who was with the boy when the shooting happened. The 13-year-old’s parents gave reporters permission to speak to him about what he saw. Investigators chose to conceal his identity for his safety.
Fred’s friend said there was bad blood between Fred and Willis.
“That doesn’t make you shoot a 12-year-old for no reason. You shot and killed that boy for no reason,” the victim’s best friend said. “I heard the first gunshot, his body weight got heavy, and he dropped.”
In a matter of seconds, he said Fred was gone. The 12-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The last bullet was meant for me. He was supposed to shoot me with the last bullet, but he missed,” Fred’s friend said. “It was crazy because he shot my best friend down while I was standing next to him. That ain’t no good feeling.”
The young witness told reporters he and the 12-year-old victim had just started the new school year.