Teen McDonald's Worker Fatally Stabbed by Co-worker in Texas

A 17-year-old McDonald's employee was stabbed to death by a teenage co-worker on Wednesday night at a restaurant in Harris County, Texas, authorities reported.

Police responded to the McDonald's on Louetta Road around 11:30 p.m. and found Reginald “RJ” Harrell in the bathroom with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The alleged assailant, a 16-year-old who also worked at the fast-food establishment, was arrested and charged with murder. He has been booked at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center.

Harrell, a senior at Cypress Creek High School, was not scheduled to work on the night of the incident, according to family members. His mother, Denisha Dennis, expressed her grief and called for justice for her son.

“I want the kid responsible, I want justice for my son, because I don’t have my son no more. He’s gone. He was only 17,” Dennis told KHOU. “And I can’t talk, I can’t hug him, he can’t say, ‘Ma, I love you’.”

His sister, Kourtnee Dennis, shared similar sentiments. “I would have never thought that the last time he walked out my door to go to work would be the last time that I see him and talk to him,” she said.

Harrell had plans to become a welder after graduation.

The motive for the stabbing was not immediately clear. The McDonald's restaurant was temporarily closed for police processing and cleanup.

In a statement, Michael Gutierrez, the owner of the McDonald's franchise, offered condolences to Harrell's family and stated the company's focus is on the well-being of its employees.

“We are saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones and all those impacted,” Gutierrez said. “Right now, our focus is on the well-being of our restaurant employees, and supporting them as they process these events.”