TCU shuttle driver could face a murder charge in road rage incident, police say

A shuttle bus driver at Texas Christian University could face a murder charge, authorities said Wednesday, after the victim in a road rage incident last month died from his injuries last week.

The Collin County Medical Examiner confirmed that David Mitchell, 52, has died.

Police presented the original aggravated assault case against 52-year-old Eric Hampton to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office and it was accepted, Fort Worth Police Department spokesman Bradley Perez said Wednesday.

He added in an email, "The Fort Worth Police Department has been in contact with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s office in reference to this case. If and when we receive official notification that the victim's death was a result of this assault we will confer with the DA’s office in reference to refiling a murder case against the suspect."

Samantha Jordan of the district attorney's office said in an email, "The prosecutors are looking into the facts and series of events and will make a determination based on those."

According to Mitchell's family attorney, who spoke with WFAA, he sustained head trauma, severe bruising and other injuries when he was allegedly attacked by Hampton on Nov. 6.

The incident prompted a campus lockdown and police arrested Hampton after they say he fired a shot at Mitchell before striking him with a shuttle bus. The two men are employed by Roadrunner Charter, which operates the shuttle bus service on campus.

Initially authorities believed Mitchell's injuries sustained during the incident were minor.

TCU, in a statement, said it is "saddened to hear this news, and we send our warmest thoughts, prayers and condolences to the family in this difficult time."

TCU temporarily placed armed guards on the shuttle buses. The guards are no longer on the buses, but the shuttle bus supervisor conducts a daily sweep for weapons on the buses, spokeswoman Holly Ellman said.

This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 11:52 AM with the headline "TCU shuttle driver could face a murder charge in road rage incident, police say."