Police say a 17-year-old is accused of opening fire on a delivery driver after midnight on Birch Bend last month.
MESQUITE, Texas — Mesquite police executed search and arrest warrants Monday on Regent Street and took a 17-year-old into custody in a case where DoorDash driver Manuel Gonzales was shot multiple times during an October delivery, officials said. The suspect’s booking is underway at the Dallas County jail.
The arrest comes after nearly a month of recovery for Gonzales and repeated canvasses of the Birch Bend block where the shooting occurred. Investigators say the assailant ran away after the attack, leaving few initial clues. The case drew attention across North Texas as relatives provided updates on Gonzales’ condition and asked for accountability. Police have not released the suspect’s name publicly or detailed how they identified him, and formal charges were not listed as of Monday evening.
Police and witness accounts indicate the gunfire started shortly after midnight on Oct. 26, when Gonzales arrived to complete a food delivery. Relatives said he was hit five times—in the arm, both legs and stomach—and that another round grazed his chin. Gonzales told reporters he used his phone’s voice assistant to call 911 because his hands were covered in blood. Responding officers applied lifesaving measures before medics transported him to a hospital, where he remained for weeks before returning home.
Detectives later focused on a teenage suspect and obtained warrants for a home roughly four miles from Birch Bend. Authorities have not said whether the teen had any relationship to the address associated with the delivery or if the attack followed a dispute over a required delivery PIN code, as Gonzales recounted. Police also did not describe the firearm involved, whether a vehicle was used in any escape, or whether shell casings recovered at the scene have been matched to a weapon.
Residents on the block said they were awakened by a volley of shots and the blare of a car horn. Some provided doorbell footage to officers who canvassed the street in the hours and days after the shooting. The neighborhood of modest single-family homes sits east of Interstate 635, where delivery traffic is common late at night. Drivers said the shooting heightened safety concerns and led to more porch lights left on for nighttime drop-offs.
After booking, investigators are expected to file an arrest affidavit detailing probable cause and evidence gathered, which prosecutors will review for potential counts such as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police did not release a timetable for a first court appearance. Officials said additional updates would be provided once the affidavit is public and any forensic testing is complete.
By Monday night, police had not released a mug shot, and the motive remained unclear. Gonzales’ family said they welcomed the arrest while waiting on investigators to explain what led to the gunfire that upended their month.
Author note: Last updated November 25, 2025.