Grand Jury Indicts Adult for Shooting Kids with a Pellet Gun

SAN ANGELO — A Tom Green County Grand Jury indicted a San Angelo man in August for shooting two children with an air rifle and a BB gun.

Julio Arzeno-Mejia, 43, has been indicted on two counts for Injury to a Child after shooting the children with a CO2 powered BB gun on two different occasions.

According to court documents, on June 17, 2023, a San Angelo police officer investigated allegations from a third party that Arzeno-Mejia shot a child with a BB gun. Forensic interviews were arranged for an 11-year-old and a14-year-old.

During one of those interviews, the older of the two children said that on February 1, 2023, Arzeno-Mejia used an air rifle to shoot them in the leg with a copper BB. The child stated that the mark from Arzeno-Mejia’s action was still on the child’s leg and that the child felt a lot of pain when he was shot.

The younger child said that on June 12, 2023, Arzeno-Mejia shot them in the side of the hip with a BB gun. The child stated that Arzeno-Mejia had a air pistol when the child pushed him and was walking away when Arzeno-Mejia shot him.

Arzeno-Mejia stated that he and the older child had been “back and forth” with him, and he told the 14-year-old to stop. Arzeno-Mejia went into the bedroom and sat under clothes in the closet. When the 14-year-old came into the room, Arzeno-Mejia shot at him multiple times and hit him in the leg.

When asked about the 11-year-old, Arzeno-Mejia said the child was running and he tried to shoot the couch but shot the child instead. He also thought the CO2 was out.

The marks on both children were documented to which Arzeno-Mejia acknowledged the photos were where he shot both children.

Arzeno-Mejia was arrested on June 30, 2023, for injury to a child and booked into the Tom Green County Jail where he is currently and inmate being held on $75,000 bond.