The two boys were with their father, pushing a disabled vehicle on County Road 144 near Alvin around 11:30pm when a vehicle ran into them.
The case took a strange turn for police when they discovered the man in car had been shot in the head.
As friends and family mourned Saturday, investigators swarmed the area, searching for answers -- anything to explain what happened.
"Nobody knows nothing but the people who were there, and two of them are gone," family friend Pete Villanueva III said.
According to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, the Barajas family was driving home when they ran out of gas.
Deputies said 12-year-old David and 11-year-old Caleb helped their father, David Sr., push their truck home.
"Another vehicle came up behind them -- and, of course, this was in the dark, early hours -- and struck the vehicle from behind, striking all three," BCSO Criminal Investigator Dominick Sanders said.
David Jr. died instantly and Caleb died at an area hospital.
Their mother and sister were in the disabled truck at the time. They were not hurt, officials said.
David Sr., was injured and rushed to the hospital. He was recovering Saturday night.
The accident happened just 50 yards away from the family's home.
Deputies arrived at the scene and found the car that hit the Barajas family smashed on the side of the road. Jose Banda, 20, was slumped over in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound to the head.
He later died at an area hospital.
There's no word at this point if that Banda was shot before or after the accident. Investigators found no weapons nearby and they haven't identified any suspects in Banda's death.
"We don't want to jump to any conclusions at this point until we've done a thorough investigation," Sanders said.
This case remains under investigation. Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates.
