FORT WORTH -- A 22-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in the robbery and fatal shooting of a man who police say was trying to protect his 3-year-old stepson.
Jacob Jordan Bright faces a capital murder charge in the death of Islander Tavira-Hernandez, 21.Bright remained in the Mansfield Jail on Wednesday, with bail set at $750,000. He is also being held without bail on a parole violation warrant.Police say that on the night of Nov. 19, Tavira-Hernandez, his wife and his stepchildren -- a 10-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy -- had just returned to their apartment complex in the 1200 block of East Seminary Drive in south Fort Worth. They were approached by a gunman wearing a ski mask and demanding money.Frightened, the 3-year-old ran toward the family's apartment. When the robber ran in the same direction, police say, Tavira-Hernandez chased after the man.The robber shot Tavira-Hernandez multiple times before fleeing.Tavira-Hernandez died a short time later at a Fort Worth hospital.Police released no additional information Wednesday about Bright's arrest, citing the ongoing investigation.Tarrant County court records show that Bright has misdemeanor convictions for criminal trespassing, marijuana possession and theft. In July 2011, he was sentenced to two years in prison after his probation in a cocaine possession case was revoked when he was kicked out of a substance-abuse treatment halfway house, records show.Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Bright was released from prison in October 2011 on mandatory supervision. A parole violation warrant was issued against him in February after he absconded, Clark said.At the time of Tavira-Hernandez's slaying, Bright was also wanted in a theft-of-property case pending in Tarrant County, records show. That warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear in court and his bail was forfeited.The theft charge stems from allegations that Bright tried to shoplift panties and a bra from a Wal-Mart in east Fort Worth.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
