Community Shows Support for Family of 9-Year-old Mistakenly Shot Dead by Man Aiming at Robbers

Support has poured in for the family of Arlene Alvarez, a 9-year-old mistakenly shot dead, with thousands attending a weekend barbecue event to raise funds for the girl's funeral.

Gwen Alvarez, Arlene's mother, said that while she still hopes everything has been just a bad dream, she's appreciative of the community support. On the other hand, Dad Armando Alvarez said that the community event is also a campaign to raise awareness for gun violence as something has to change so that another child will not die.

Arlene was shot as she sat alone, waiting for her dad by the ATM in the family's pickup truck. The girl was unaware of a commotion between a man and robber nearby as she had her headphones on. The robbery victim had a gun for his protection. He had fired at the pickup because he thought this was the getaway car.

A Mistaken Identity

The Houston Police Department identified the shooter as 41-year-old Tony D. Earls, who was initially unaware that his weapon killed a child. He reported the robbery to the police and detailed that the thief came after him while withdrawing money from Chase Bank's ATM.

Earls also said the suspect fled the scene, but he thought of firing at a vehicle parked near the bank, believing the robber owned this. Armando witnessed the robbery and was signaling for his daughter to take cover. The father also said that Earls sprayed their vehicle with bullets. One of the bullets hit Arlene's head.

The police said this was a case of mistaken identity. Nonetheless, Earls has been charged by the Houston Police Department for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently out of jail after paying a $100,000 bond.

The Alvarez family lawyer said that Earls could not say this was self-defense as there was no reason for him to open fire at the car since the robber fled the scene. The suspect has still not been identified as of press time.

The Pain of Losing a Child

Earls' wife, Deyonna Hinds, extended her and her husband's condolences to the Alvarez family. The couple has six kids and said that they have also been having sleepless nights thinking about the pain of losing a child.

Brennen Dunn, the lawyer for the couple, said that the robber fired the first shot, and Hinds was also with her husband during the incident. Dunn said that his client fired only two shots at Alvarez's car, and the death of Arlene has been "eating him up inside," per KHOU.

He has advised Earls not to speak unless to the authorities so as not to further incriminate himself amid rumors that the robbery was a drug deal gone wrong.

Meanwhile, Gwen said that Arlene, whom she described as an "old soul," fought for her life like a warrior when she was brought to the hospital. However, she was declared brain dead because of the gunshot wound to her head. She was shot on Valentine's Day, February 14.