Houston teenager Brayden Smith was charged with murder in connection with the Jan. 7, 2026, shooting of Caitlin Stup, 25, who was shot in the head while riding a METRO bus in west Houston on her way to work. The shooting also left a 16-year-old passenger wounded.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Smith was brought before Judge Brian Warren of the 209th District Court in Houston on Jan. 12, where he faced a murder charge. Police have alleged that Smith walked toward 18-year-old Patrick Scott, who was seated at the back of the bus, and authorities believe the bullet that struck Stup was actually intended for Scott. The two men had reportedly been involved in a violent feud, according to authorities.
Detectives with the City of Houston determined that Smith fired the shots that struck the victims, according to a statement from the City of Houston Newsroom. Scott was armed, but Houston police had not concluded that the two men exchanged gunfire, according to ABC13.
A Teen on Probation, an Ankle Monitor Allegedly Removed
Smith had received deferred adjudication for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and was on probation for unlawful carrying of a weapon when arrested. He had allegedly removed an ankle monitor before the shooting. Smith and Scott were arrested the day after the Jan. 7 shooting and have been in custody since, per the Houston Chronicle's reporting. A 16-year-old male passenger was also wounded in the shooting and was released from the hospital that Thursday morning, according to KHOU.
Patrick Scott faces his own set of legal troubles tied to the shooting. He was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, and separately with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Houston Chronicle. He was later charged with a federal weapons violation for allegedly possessing a machine gun switch device, and federal prosecutors have charged him with illegally possessing a machine gun and unlawfully receiving a firearm and ammunition while under indictment, the station's report notes. The allegations against Scott include both state and federal charges.
Smith's Words at Sentencing
At his sentencing, Smith called Stup's death an accident and asked her family for forgiveness.
Stup's father, Scott Stup, told the court that writing a letter would not make his daughter's murder easier to bear. Prosecutors read a letter from him describing Caitlin as amazing, caring, funny, adventurous and respectful.
Remembering Caitlin Stup
Stup was 25 when she died.
The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, including whether the men exchanged gunfire.
