GREENVILLE, Texas — Twenty-four hours after being released from jail and cleared of capital murder, the man once accused of shooting 14 people and killing two others at a Halloween party in Greenville says he has finally awakened from a nightmare.
But Brandon Gonzales, 23, said that he plans to not waste the blessing he was handed late Tuesday.
Gonzales was arrested on a capital murder charge Oct. 28, less than 48 hours after the shooting at The Party Venue.
Kevin Berry Jr., 23, and 23-year-old Byron Craven Jr. were killed at the party.
The Hunt County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday that "due to the lack of cooperation from witnesses and discovery of exculpatory evidence during the course of the investigation, we have requested the Hunt County District Attorney’s Office take no action on Mr. Gonzales’ case at this time."
Officials did not detail what that exculpatory evidence could be. Exculpatory evidence is evidence that could potentially clear an accused person.
At the time of his arrest, Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said authorities believe Gonzales acted alone and went to the party to target a specific individual.
The sheriff's office used the account of a single witness to tie Gonzales to the shooting, per arrest documents. The witness said he saw Gonzales leave after playing dice in a restroom, only to return with a gun to start shooting.
"We just kept pushing and pushing until people finally started coming forward," said Meeks when asked how they identified Gonzales as the alleged shooter.
"One person came forward with a little bit of information and that led to another little bit of information, and investigators were able to keep on pushing until we got the name."
Gonzales said he was not inside the party when the shooter opened fire, instead he said he was outside in his car on his phone.
"I kept thinking it was a nightmare and that I was going to wake up."
After spending almost nine days in jail, Gonzales was released Tuesday and was met by family as well as friends outside the Hunt County Jail.
He says he plans to sue Hunt County over his arrest and will return to work next Monday.
The father of three young children works at an auto dealership in Greenville, the same place where he was arrested by federal agents and state authorities.
"They came at me with guns drawn," Gonzales said. "It was really one of the worst feelings I've ever felt in my life."
"I would hear guards and inmates pass me and call me the 'shooter.' It really messed with me because that's not my image, it's not who I've ever been or who I ever will be."
Gonzales said that it was difficult to keep hope alive behind bars and that the weight of a capital murder charge is indescribable.
His mugshot went viral and thousands of headlines were generated online following his arrest.
"I kept thinking like it was a nightmare and that I was going to wake up," Gonzales said.
The fear that he might have a long legal fight ahead of him was daunting to Gonzales.
"That's what worried me a lot," Gonzales said. "I've seen innocent people spend 20 plus years behind bars only to be found innocent. You can't get those years back."
Gonzales said that he's thankful his fight didn't last that long.
"My brother Gabe always told me, 'I got you,'" Gonzales said. "It kept me going."
Once on the outside, Gonzales said that he could barely sleep.
"It still felt like a dream last night talking with my family," Gonzales said. "I felt like I was still going to wake up in that cell. I didn't really want to go to sleep."
"Nobody knew how I felt behind there, taking the blame for someone else."
From this point on, Gonzales said that he will focus on his three young children and living for them.
"I have to focus on my family now," Gonzales said while scrolling through articles and photos taken of him online.
"I look at it as something I'll never forget."
WFAA asked Gonzales if he was rattled, and if being labeled a killer would impact his daily life from here on.
"Nobody knew how I felt behind there, taking the blame for someone else," Gonzales said.
"But why would I let it? I didn't do any wrong. Hunt County did wrong."
Investigators with Hunt County are still looking for information and evidence to arrest the person or persons responsible for the shooting.
At this point, they're back to square one.