John VanMeter, died Wednesday, began boxing professionally in 2016 and had a 2-4 record, according to BoxRec. (Facebook)
A 12-year-old boy was charged this week in the fatal shooting of a professional boxer, unnerving the local boxing community in the South Texas town where he lived and trained.
Super featherweight John VanMeter, 24, was at his home in Uvalde when he was shot and killed Wednesday night. His girlfriend called 911 around 8 p.m. and said someone tried kicking in the door and shot VanMeter when he opened it, KSAT-TV in San Antonio reported.
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VanMeter was taken to a hospital where he eventually died. The 12-year-old was charged with capital murder and was being held at a juvenile detention center. Police did not reveal a motive for the shooting and did not say how investigators tied the youth to the shooting. Witnesses told police they saw a male wearing a black bandanna over his face running from the home, according to the station.
VanMeter began boxing professionally in 2016 and had a 2-4 record, according to BoxRec.
His trainer David Hernandez described his fighter to the Associated Press as a man with a "heart of gold and an amazing spirit."
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The Tree City Boxing Club posted about VanMeter on Facebook, saying, "It's a sad, sad night, not just for Tree City Boxing, but for our entire community. Please keep the VanMeters in your prayers."