Teen Gets 15 Years In Labor Day Shooting That Wounded Man, Killed Dog

NEW BOSTON, Texas–A Bowie County jury on Thursday sentenced an 18-year-old to 15 years in prison in connection with a mid-afternoon shooting on Labor Day last year that wounded a man and killed a nearby resident’s dog.

The jury deliberated about 30 minutes before finding Elijah Shah Lewis guilty of aggravated assault and animal cruelty. The shooting occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., Sept. 1, 2025, near a convenience store on Richmond Road.

Bowie County Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter told TXK Today on Thursday, “This case involved numerous citizens who were eye witnesses to this lawless activity that occurred in the middle of the afternoon on Richmond Road.”

“I am grateful for the cooperation of so many citizens of our county who gave their time this week to help explain how the events unfolded on Labor Day last year,” Carter said. “I am also thankful for the diligent work of the Texarkana Texas Police Dept. in gathering the witness information and overwhelming evidence this jury needed to return guilty verdicts so quickly.”

Elijah Lewis’ co-defendants, his brother Emmanuel Oneal Lewis, 19, and Kemmanie Isaiah Galbert, 19, are scheduled for jury trials in October and November.

The three teens had allegedly been at a house in the 1200 block of Pierre St. in Texarkana, Texas, when a Ford Mustang drove by, according to a probable cause affidavit. Believing that one of the occupants had waved a handgun as they drove past, Galbert and the Lewis brothers got into a white Chevrolet Impala and began following the Mustang.

The three teens allegedly drove past the Mustang and positioned themselves up the road to wait.

Elijah Lewis, the alleged shooter, allegedly fired multiple rounds from an AR handgun, striking one of the occupants of the Mustang in the hip and fatally wounding a dog belonging to a man who lived in a home near the scene. Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter, who represented the state, said the dog’s owner was distraught and tearful when he testified about the loss of his beloved pet.

Elijah Lewis was sentenced to 15 for aggravated assault and received a two-year term for animal cruelty. The sentences will run concurrently. He is represented by Texarkana lawyer Mike Lusk.

Elijah Lewis is being held in the Bowie County jail while he awaits transport to the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice. Emmanuel Lewis has been in custody since his arrest last year.

He has picked up additional felony charges while behind bars, including unlawful restraint of a public servant and prohibited substance in a correctional facility, records show. Emmanuel Lewis’ bond is set at $225,000. Galbert is also in custody with bond set at $279,500.