FORT WORTH -- Calvin Wayne Thomas, 18, was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to the murder of Justin Austin, 20.
Thomas, of Fort Worth, was arrested May 25, 2011, after a woman told police that suspected gang members had jumped her 15-year-old son.The woman said when she told the boys suspected of fighting with her son that she intended to call the police, one of them threatened to "shoot this place" and "run you out of here."Several hours later, police say, gunmen fired shots at the woman's residence, killing Austin, a friend of another of the woman's sons. Police believe Thomas was one of the gunmen.Officers responding to the shooting at the Village Creek Townhomes in the 2800 block of Briery Street on Oct. 28, 2010, found Austin dead inside the doorway of a residence with at least three gunshot wounds to the head, according to police.The shooters had fled on foot.Police suspect that the shooting stemmed from the earlier altercation involving the woman's son.According to that police report, the boy was heading to a nearby park when he was jumped by three juveniles, causing bruising and swelling to his face.While the boy was reluctant to give officers information, his mother told police the youths belonged to a gang, according to the report.Officers notified the gang unit. The unit began patrolling the area, the report states.The mother sent her son to a relative's house to avoid further conflict.Another son arrived at the residence with Austin and two girls.Austin and one of the girls were sitting on the front porch when an undetermined number of people approached the residence and shots rang out, police said.Police believe the gunmen used at least two different firearms during the shooting, including a shotgun.Austin was attempting to run inside when he was struck multiple times, police said.In a separate plea-bargain agreement, Patrique Dumone Allen, a co-defendant in the Austin murder case, pleaded guilty to a deadly conduct charge, discharging a firearm at an individual on Oct. 22, and received a three-year prison sentence.This story includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Mitch Mitchell, 817-390-7752Twitter: @mitchmitchel3Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
