Video shows group punch driver, take his keys before fatal shooting in Fort Worth: warrant
At one point, Jin Shin of Dallas faced eight other people in an argument after a minor car accident on the morning of Aug. 15 on University Drive in Fort Worth.
Someone took his keys as the group confronted and surrounded him, and someone else punched Shin on the back of his head, according to an arrest warrant.
Shin, armed with handgun that he kept pointed down, moved away from his vehicle, the warrant says.
But within minutes, 28-year-old Markynn West of Fort Worth fired at Shin multiple times, killing the 43-year-old Dallas man, according to the warrant obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Thursday.
West was arrested Wednesday. The Fort Worth man was booked into jail on suspicion of murder in the death of Shin, a man known as a leader in the Dallas-Fort Worth Asian-American community.
Police said that just after 2 a.m. of Aug. 15, Shin was involved in a minor traffic accident in the 2500 block of University Drive in Fort Worth. After the accident, friends of the people in the other car involved arrived at the scene, boxed in Shin’s Jeep and surrounded him, according to the warrant.
The warrant written by Detective M. Sones provided these details:
A silver Hyundai Elantra was the fourth car at a red light at 2500 University Drive when a white 2020 Jeep driven by Shin rolled forward into the bumper of the Elantra.
Shin and the driver of the Elantra got out of their vehicles and started talking about what had just happened. The Elantra driver was a woman, and two other women were passengers in her car.
Soon a 2021 Chrysler 300 arrived, pulled up behind Shin’s Jeep and two men got out. A woman was driving the Chrysler 300. One of the men who got out of the Chrysler was Markynn West.
An Infinity and a silver 2014 Ford Fusion also stopped nearby with two other people.
At some point, Shin — who was standing near his Jeep — was punched in the back of his head. He walked away, but he was pursued by someone.
The warrant stated that sometime after the shooting Fort Worth police watched a video from the scene.
When Shin veered away from his Jeep, at least three people opened the door of the Jeep and leaned into it, the video showed. It was later determined that someone took Shin’s keys from the vehicle.
Shin continued to keep his distance from the people. The video showed he had something in his hand. That something was later identified as a handgun, which Shin kept pointed down, according to the warrant.
At this time, West went to the trunk of the Chrysler 300 and got a handgun.
Shin walked to the back of his Jeep when West first opened fire. The Dallas man retreated, but West pursued him. The warrant does not say that Shin fired his weapon.
West raised his handgun a second time, and fired multiple times at Shin.
The video showed Shin running away. Fort Worth police later found Shin’s body lying on a median near the northbound lanes of traffic on University Drive.
Shin has been remembered by friends, employees, coworkers and community members as being “more than a pillar of the community.”
At a candlelight vigil and wake Aug. 18 in Dallas, they shared stories of how Shin cared for the least fortunate in his community, providing meals to people experiencing homeless in the area of his business, Family Karaoke, and feeding stray cats. They talked about how he raised funds for people in his community in need, including the families of the women who were injured when earlier this year a man opened fire on a Korean hair salon.
They said Shin worked hard to promote unity across different cultural communities and tried to bring people with different hobbies and interests together in unique ways.
Shin’s killing outraged the community, leading to calls of “Justice for Jin.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 4:00 PM.
