Witness: The defendant said,‘You know what it is,’ and shot victim in the head
A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old.
Taajon Jabri Richardson of Arlington, also called “Yung Rambo,” was accused of shooting Alex Sanchez once in the head after the two stepped out of a vehicle on the night of Feb. 29 in the 6100 block of Fern Meadow Road.
Richardson waived a jury proceeding and elected to be sentenced by state District Judge George Gallagher, who handed down a 15-year sentence.
An arrest warrant outlined the following details:
Sanchez and two other people contacted Richardson on Feb. 29 to purchase drugs. Richardson gave them a location on Fern Meadow Road to meet.
When Sanchez and the two other people arrived, Richardson walked up to the vehicle and opened a back door. Richardson noticed Sanchez in a back seat and backed out of the vehicle. Sanchez and Richardson had a previous drug deal go bad.
Sanchez got out of the vehicle and the two spoke briefly. At some point, the affidavit says, Richardson pulled out a handgun and shot Sanchez one time.
Sanchez died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to officials with the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.
The two people with Sanchez fled in a white car and Richardson also left the scene.
Residents reported the gunshot, and Sanchez was found in the middle of the street.
A witness told investigators that on Feb. 29, he was interested in purchasing a codeine mixture known as lean, made of a mix of codeine-based prescription cough syrup, soda and, often, Jolly Ranchers candy.
The witness contacted Richardson to set up the purchase then drove out to a meeting place with Sanchez and another friend, a court document said. When Sanchez stepped out of the car, Richardson said, “you know what it is” and shot him one time, the court filing said.
Mitch Mitchell: 817-390-7752, @mitchmitchel3
This story was originally published August 12, 2017 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Witness: The defendant said,‘You know what it is,’ and shot victim in the head."