FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS
THE BLACKFISH FILES
Offense
Murder
The Allegation
On the 4th of July, 2020, a family was having a reunion celebration in a local Dallas area park. A verbal argument broke out between two men that would have turned physical if onlookers had not intervened. One of the men started walking toward the parking lot and the second man began following him. When the first man approached his car, the second man pulled a semi-automatic handgun from his waistband and fired 16 shots into the man’s back, killing him. He was arrested and charged with murder.
Our Client
He was a 32-year-old man, engaged to be married to the mother of his two children. He was a barber with no significant criminal history, but a reputation as a good, non-violent person.
His Version of the Story
Our client was enjoying a family holiday in the park while preparing to enjoy fireworks with his 13-year-old son when he was approached by a man he knew. The man appeared intoxicated and belligerent and quickly confronted our client. Our client tried to de-escalate the situation but the man persisted and began threatening to get a gun from his car and kill our client, his wife, and their kids. As the man began stomping toward his car, our client followed him in an attempt to calm the man down, but he continued to repeat the threats. As the man approached his car, our client felt he had no choice but to use deadly force to keep the man from getting access to a gun.
Our Findings
Our investigation found that the deceased man had a well-earned reputation for violence and had been incarcerated twice before. He was known to possess firearms and was unpredictable. He was considered a dangerous man and many witnesses testified that his threats were credible. Our measurements at the scene helped demonstrate that our client had no opportunity to escape with his family before the man could get to his car. He used deadly force in self-defense and in defense of other people.
The Outcome
The jury voted unanimously to acquit our client of all charges.