Texas – Texas authorities took 21-year-old J. Magereno into custody and charged him with murder in the fataI shooting of his reIative, EmanueI, 19. The arrest followed a 5:00 p.m. response to a shooting call in the defendant’s home. Officers determined through their preliminary investigation that the victim had been shot at the scene and transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit described by local news outlet, the victim and his younger sibIing had been visiting the defendant at his residence to celebrate the victim’s birthday earlier that afternoon. The three were in a bedroom discussing firearms and practicing concealed carry when the defendant asked the victim to help test his reaction time. The affidavit stated that the defendant then produced a pistol and fired a single round that struck the victim in the chest. After the shooting, the shooter called 911 and reported that he had accidentally shot his reIative.
When officers interviewed the shooter, he told them he regularly practiced with his firearm and believed he had removed the magazine and cleared the weapon before pointing it toward the victim as part of the reaction-time exercise. He stated that he thought the firearm was unloaded at the moment he pulled the trigger. Investigators recorded those statements as part of the early investigative steps that also included securing the scene, interviewing the two relatives who were present, and coordinating with medical personnel who treated and later pronounced the victim around 8:00 p.m. at a nearby hospital.
Local outlets that reviewed the arrest paperwork reported that the defendant had handed the victim a firearm during the interaction, telling him he wanted to test how fast he could react. The account indicated that the shot was fired during that test. The same records indicated that after the 911 call, responding officers located the parties involved, identified the suspect and victim, and notified the Homicide Unit to take over the investigation.
Texas authorities publicly confirmed the essential details the following day on the department’s blog, stating that the victim had been shot by the defendant, that he later died from his injury at a hospital, and that the shooter had been arrested and charged with murder.
The department asked anyone with additional information to contact the assigned detective as the case continued. This summary aligned with contemporaneous reports by regional outlets that cited the same affidavit language about the reaction-time test and the claim of an accidental discharge.
Jail records and media reports noted that the shooter was booked into the county jail on the murder charge. As of September 3, 2025, some reports indicated a bond had not yet been set, and authorities had not publicly stated whether he had retained an attorney. The Independent, citing local police records, likewise reported the timeline of the call, the alleged purpose of the “test,” the 911 admission, and the subsequent booking.
The shooting occurred on what family members had planned as a birthday visit, according to the affidavit summarized in local coverage. The accounts consistently described a discussion about guns, a brief practice related to concealed carry, and the defendant’s request to test the victim’s reaction time immediately before the single shot that proved fatal.