Police seek persons of interest after teen killed in Sharpstown shooting

Ronald Xiloj Cua’s death has left Liberty High School and the Sharpstown immigrant community grieving while Houston police continue to search for two persons of interest in a fatal shooting at a Fondren Road gas station. The 17-year-old Liberty High junior was killed about 8 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at 5803 Fondren Road near Harwin Drive in southwest Houston.

Investigators said the violence began inside a white Toyota that pulled into the gas station with several people already inside. Two more males got into the vehicle, gunfire broke out inside it, and the shooting spilled into the parking lot. Ronald Xiloj Cua was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people later went to a hospital, including one who had been shot.

Houston police released photos of two persons of interest on April 29 and asked the public for help identifying them. The case is being handled by HPD Homicide Division Detectives R. Barcak and C. Davidson. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

The investigation has developed as police worked to verify the victim’s identity. In an April 27 update, investigators said the victim was believed to be in his 20s and that identification was pending confirmation by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Police later identified the victim as Ronald Xiloj Cua, 17.

The killing has taken on added weight because of Cua’s family history and the school he attended. His mother, Cecilia Xiloj Cua, said she immigrated from Guatemala with her eldest son three years ago in search of a better life. Family members were preparing for a candlelight vigil, and Liberty High School’s principal was expected to join them as the community gathered around the family.

Liberty High School is a Houston ISD campus that serves overage newly arrived immigrant students, many of whom are balancing school, work and family responsibilities. Cua’s death has shaken that community as classmates, neighbors and relatives face another night of fear tied to a shooting that started in a crowded parking lot and ended with a teenager dead.