Dallas County grand jury clears man charged with murder of suspected shoplifter
.jpg "A Dallas County grand jury declined to indict a man accused of fatally shooting an unarmed suspected shoplifter who police said was fighting with employees at a Family Dollar store last November, according to court records.")
A Dallas County grand jury has cleared an Arlington man charged with the murder of an unarmed accused shoplifter who police said was fighting with employees at a Family Dollar store in November, court records show.
Kevin Jackson Sr. fatally shot 26-year-old Phillip Betts the evening of Nov. 29, according to Dallas police, and was arrested soon after.
Jackson walked into a Family Dollar store at 3200 S. Lancaster Road and saw Betts fighting with two female employees, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KDFW-TV. The women had confronted Betts about items he was trying to steal, and Betts reportedly scratched one woman and hit the other one “multiple times with his fists,” according to the affidavit.
Jackson told the women to move out of the way and then shot Betts, who was unarmed, police said. Betts collapsed outside the store and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jackson waited for the police to arrive and told them he’d been concerned for the women’s safety, KDFW reported. Jackson was arrested and the district attorney’s office charged him with Betts’ murder.
The grand jury decided in July that there was not enough evidence to indict Jackson, according to court records.
Jackson told KDFW in a phone interview Wednesday that he’s looking forward to putting this incident behind him.
According to court documents, Betts’ family is suing Family Dollar and Jackson, alleging wrongful death and negligence. The defendants have denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
