Victor Gonzalez was speaking with 911 dispatchers and following robbery suspects when he reported that he had been shot.
HOUSTON, Texas — A 17-year-old has been charged with capital murder after authorities said a father of two was robbed at gunpoint during a Facebook Marketplace transaction and fatally shot while following the people who fled from the meetup.
Anthony Castro was arrested Sept. 18 in connection with the Sept. 13 death of 34-year-old Victor Gonzalez, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and court records. Investigators said Gonzalez had arranged to meet someone in the Aldine area of north Harris County to sell property. Authorities allege the planned transaction instead became an armed robbery. Castro’s charge is an allegation, and the case has not been resolved in court.
Investigators said Gonzalez called 911 at about 4:12 p.m. after being robbed at gunpoint. The people involved in the robbery fled in a vehicle, and Gonzalez followed them while speaking with emergency dispatchers and providing information about their direction of travel. During the pursuit, Gonzalez told dispatchers that he had been shot and then stopped responding, according to authorities and court records.
Deputies responding to the incident found Gonzalez in the 600 block of John Albers Road near Bauman Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have described multiple people fleeing after the alleged robbery, but Castro was the publicly identified defendant in the killing in reports reviewed this week. Investigators have not publicly disclosed all of the circumstances surrounding the other people allegedly involved.
Court documents cited by local and national news organizations provide additional allegations about what happened during the pursuit. Investigators interviewed a person who said Castro had directed that person to a location and told the person to pick up others. The witness said Castro later got out of a vehicle and fired toward the vehicle following them, according to the documents. ABC13 reported that investigators said surveillance video captured the sound of three gunshots during the confrontation. Those allegations have not been tested at trial.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced Castro’s arrest five days after the shooting. The sheriff said homicide investigators charged Castro with capital murder for his alleged role in Victor Gonzalez’s death. Members of the sheriff’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and law enforcement partners took Castro into custody, and he was booked into the Harris County Jail. Court records reviewed by the Houston Chronicle shortly after the arrest listed Castro as being held without bail.
The killing left Gonzalez’s wife, Mayra Gonzalez, caring for the couple’s two young children. She told ABC13 that her husband was devoted to his family and had a large circle of friends. “Everyone knew him. He had friends everywhere,” she said. “He was a great man.” She said their children had been extremely close to their father and described the loss of their father as devastating for the family.
Mayra Gonzalez also spoke publicly about the Facebook Marketplace transaction that preceded her husband’s death. She urged people to use caution when arranging sales with strangers online. Her comments came as investigators continued examining the robbery, the vehicles involved and the events that unfolded while her husband remained on the phone with emergency dispatchers.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has said Gonzalez initially arranged the meeting to sell property, but authorities have not publicly released a complete account of what was being sold or all of the evidence collected in the investigation. Reports also have differed in how much they describe Castro’s alleged role in the fatal shooting. Court documents contain a witness account alleging Castro fired toward Gonzalez’s vehicle, while investigators’ allegations remain subject to examination as the criminal case proceeds.
Castro remained charged with capital murder as of Sept. 24. No conviction has been entered, and prosecutors will have to prove the charge in court. A hearing was reported to be scheduled for Sept. 30. Authorities had not publicly announced another arrest connected to Gonzalez’s killing in the reliable reports reviewed, leaving questions about the roles of other people allegedly involved in the robbery and flight from the scene.
Author note: Last updated September 24, 2026.