Homeowner guns down 19-year-old installing fiber optic cable, Texas cops say

A homeowner is accused of gunning down a utility worker who was installing fiber optic cables, Texas officials told news outlets.

The shooting happened at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, in Magnolia, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Investigators say there was a “disturbance” between 53-year-old Keith Matthews and the 19-year-old worker. The dispute “escalated,” and Matthews “shot the utility worker multiple times,” according to deputies.

The worker has been identified as Briley Delacruz Rodas, the sheriff’s office said, adding that he’s hospitalized in “critical but stable condition.”

Neighbors told KPRC the fiber optic installation had been going on for weeks.

Officials haven’t said what the dispute was about.

Matthews was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bail is set at $200,000, the sheriff’s office said.

Magnolia is a roughly 40-mile drive northwest from Houston.