Grand jury indicts 17-year-old defendant in deadly 2023 Friendswood shooting

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – The Friendswood Police Department says a Galveston County grand jury has indicted a 17-year-old accused in a fatal shooting that left an 18-year-old dead and a 20-year-old left with life-changing injuries.

Connor Hilton, 17, was charged Tuesday with murder and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.

Hilton is charged in the shooting death of 18-year-old Ethan Riley. A second man, Ben Bliek, 20, was seriously injured in the shooting.

The shooting happened Dec. 23 at a home in the 1800 block of La Salle Street.

An affidavit states that Hilton was at his home with three other people when he displayed a “revolver with a teal handle.” In an interview with Friendswood police, Hilton said, according to the affidavit, “there was no disturbance between him and the other subjects, including any disagreement about the date of this incident.”

The court document says a witness “hiding in a toilet” called police when he heard two gunshots.

The witness told police he heard Hilton walk past the bathroom, where he was hiding, “crying and saying, 'What did I do?' »

When officers arrived on scene, a sergeant reported seeing Hilton sitting on the gangway “visibly distraught.” When the sergeant approached, he asked if anyone had been hurt. According to the documents, Hilton “held his hand with two fingers outstretched, gestured toward the residence and stated that there were two teenage boys inside who Hilton believed to be deceased.”

When investigators entered the home, they found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds to the head.

Hilton admitted to investigators that he shot Riley and the other victim, according to court documents.

He also reportedly told investigators that he had been thinking about and wanting to commit homicide for a long time.