SINTON, Texas — A community is grieving over the death of a beloved teenage athlete at Sinton High School was gunned down, and his father wounded during what law officers said was a road rage incident on County Road 732.
16-year-old Gavin McFarland was killed and his father Gabe was shot twice in the leg north of Sinton near Saint Paul.
San Patricio County investigators are confident that arrests in the case will be coming soon.
"There's road rage, and road rage is starting to get out of control, and no one needs to die over this," Sheriff Oscar Rivera said.
According to Rivera, it was sometime after 1 a.m. Sunday when Gabe McFarland and his 16-year-old son Gavin had left an event. While on their way home, Gavin was behind the wheel of their truck when it was clipped by another truck.
"They followed it toward Saint Paul through the back roads. So the driver of the truck decided to stop at one point, I guess he found his own mark. Also, when he did show the driver of the truck comes out, and so the dad comes out of the pickup truck, and they have a fight," Rivera said.
According to Rivera, McFarland was being beaten up bad, and that's when the son stepped in.
"Somebody else comes out of the truck with a pistol and shoots the two victims, left them there in the middle of the road and drove off," Rivera said.
"Shocked, disbelief," Sinton principal Albert Byrom said.
At Sinton High School administrators, teachers and students are in mourning after the loss of Gavin.
"He was not only popular he was very athletic, very involved in school activities, just a great young man. always positive upbeat, you could tell he just really enjoyed life every chance he had," Byrom said.
Grief counselors and members of the clergy met with around 200 students Monday morning and will be made available to any other students and staff who are in need.
Sheriff Rivera and his investigators said they would crack the case and those responsible will be arrested.
"This is a little more personal because this family is well known in the community, very civic-minded and sixteen-year-old boy that's well-liked in school," Rivera said. "And he didn't deserve to die."