Wylie police charge 2 suspects with capital murder in killing of 17-year-old boy

Both suspects were arrested Monday afternoon in Anna and taken to the Wylie city jail.

WYLIE, Texas — Days after a 17-year-old boy was shot and killed at a Wylie park, police say they have arrested two suspects in connection with the killing and charged them with capital murder.

The suspects, Jeremy Butler and Valquan Harris, were arrested Monday afternoon in Anna and taken to the Wylie city jail, officials said. 

Police said the victim, Ty’Ron Kuria, was at the park with friends when the shooting happened. Investigators said multiple witnesses heard several gunshots and saw people running from the area. Officers later found Kuria in a nearby field with gunshot wounds. He later died from his injuries.

“They took my sister’s lastborn, and it’s just eating her alive,” said Raekeia Jenkins, Kuria’s aunt.

“I am thankful for the officers and detectives in the Wylie Police Department who worked every day to determine what took place near Dodd Park,” Wylie Police Chief Anthony Henderson said in a statement. “Their work resulted in the arrest of those responsible for the death of Ty’Ron. We remain committed to continuing our investigation until this case is ready to be sent to the Collin County District Attorney’s Office for persecution.”

Wylie ISD confirmed Kuria was a student at the high school and a former student at Achieve Academy. In a statement from Achieve Academy, it wrote quote “Ty’Ron was a valued member of our campus”.

The statement from Wylie High School said in part, “He was well loved by his friends, teachers, and administrators on every campus he attended.”

Jenkins described Ty’Ron as a loving teen who was always around family and had a bright future ahead. He was supposed to graduate from high school next year.

“My nephew won’t be able to walk that stage…my sister’s not going to be able to clap for him and congratulate him,” Jenkins previously told WFAA.

The Anna Police Department and its SWAT team, as well as the Richardson Police Department’s SWAT team and the United States Marshals Service, helped in the investigation.