Teen McDonald’s employee killed after 16-year-old coworker attacked him, cops say

A 16-year-old high school student faces a murder charge after allegedly stabbing a 17-year-old coworker to death inside a Texas McDonald’s restaurant on Wednesday night.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez identified the victim as 17-year-old Reginald “RJ” Harrell. Harrell, a senior at Cypress Creek High School who planned to become a welder after graduation, was working at the fast-food location on Louetta Road in Cypress, a suburb northwest of Houston, on what was supposed to be his day off, according to his family.

Police responded to a report of an in-progress stabbing around 11:30 p.m. Upon arrival, officers located Harrell in the restaurant restroom with multiple stab wounds. Coworkers attempted lifesaving measures before first responders arrived, but Harrell was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He did not have to go out like this. He didn’t have to be murdered. He did not deserve this at all,” Harrell's mother, Denisha Dennis, told CBS affiliate KHOU 11. “I want the kid responsible; I want justice for my son, because I don’t have my son no more.

“He’s gone. He was only 17. And I can’t talk, I can’t hug him, he can’t say, ‘Ma, I love you.’”

The 16-year-old suspect remained at the location and was detained immediately by responding deputies. He was later booked into the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center on murder charges. Authorities have not released his identity due to his age.

His family said they were struggling to understand what triggered the violence inside the restaurant.

“I’m hurt, because I just don’t understand how you can just take someone’s life like that,” Harrell’s sister, Kourtnee Dennis, told KHOU 11. “I don’t know what happened in the bathroom, I don’t know what corresponded, but I feel like he didn’t deserve to be murdered.”

She added: “I would have never thought that the last time he walked out my door to go to work would be the last time that I see him and talk to him.”

It remains unclear what triggered the altercation or whether prosecutors will attempt to try the suspect as an adult.

The restaurant remained temporarily closed on Thursday as a cleaning crew worked inside, with a sign on the front door turning customers away. In a statement, McDonald’s owner-operator Michael Gutierrez expressed condolences to Harrell’s family.

“We are saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones and all those impacted,” the statement read. “Right now, our focus is on the well-being of our restaurant employees, and supporting them as they process these events.”

Everette Penn, an associate professor and director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University, told FOX 26 Houston that transferring a juvenile to the adult court system involved a rigorous judicial review.

“That is going to be selected and chosen by the court,” Penn said. “Now the court will probably look at this, there are circumstances we don’t know that are not available to us but the court has to look at this and determine: what was the state of mind of the youth, what were the circumstances, environment, and background information to determine whether this person could be tried as an adult?

“That’s a very difficult decision, and the court does not take it lightly because that makes for a different path for the individual.”