Texas teens arrested in killing of Marine veteran working as rideshare driver
Three teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the killing of a Texas Marine veteran who was working as a rideshare driver to support his mother and sister, authorities said.
The arrests are tied to the Sept. 4 death of 28-year-old Quoc "Jake" Nguyen, who was found dead along a roadside after being shot, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Thursday.
A 15-year-old has been charged with capital murder, while a 14- and 13-year-old face charges of tampering with evidence.
All three were taken into custody in recent days and booked into the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, Gonzalez said.
Investigators believe the teens shot Nguyen, stole his vehicle and property, and fled the scene.
Nguyen’s brother, Matthew, told Fox Houston that his brother had been driving for Uber to help support their mother and sister. The Nguyen family immigrated to Houston from Vietnam several years ago.
"At the time he was driving that night, he had a rideshare from Uber," Matthew Nguyen said. "He picked up one customer and dropped him off downtown. After that, he still had some people in the car. Uber confirmed that’s the last time they heard from him."
"I had just spoken to him on Tuesday, and he sounded like he finally figured some stuff out," he added. "Then we get a call on Friday … and this is the case."
In a post on X, Gonzalez called Nguyen’s death "tragic and senseless."
"Our condolences go out to Jake’s friends and family. Outstanding work by @HCSOTexas detectives, VCAT, and all team members involved," he wrote.