Suspect in Crockett Street shooting death turns himself in to authorities in Fort Worth
A 29-year-old man has turned himself in after Fort Worth police obtained a warrant for his arrest in the shooting death of Bryson Rodgers, also 29, in the West 7th entertainment district Saturday, according to police.
Karlove Palmer turned himself in to the Tarrant County Jail on Monday after he shot and killed Rodgers during a fight stemming from a “personal dispute,” police said in a news release sent Monday evening.
Palmer’s attorneys with the Law Offices of Gill and Brissette said in a news release that they will be conducting their own investigation into the context surrounding the shooting.
“Karlove surrendered himself tonight to the Tarrant County Sheriff in order to expedite the investigation,” the attorneys said in the news release. “Until all of the facts are in, we ask that Karlove’s presumption of innocence be observed, and that judgment be withheld.”
The Star-Telegram has requested a copy of the arrest warrant affidavit from police.
Rodgers was shot multiple times in the chest around 10 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of Crockett Street. The shooting, which police resulted from a fight between him and Palmer, sent the area into chaos. Police were on the scene within a minute and paramedics were close behind.
Paramedics were seen applying multiple bandages to Rodgers’ chest and side before performing CPR and then informing a woman who knew Rodgers that they were taking him to an area hospital.
Rodgers died at the hospital, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police announced earlier Monday afternoon that investigators had obtained a warrant for Palmer’s arrest. At the news conference, they confirmed that Rodgers and Palmer knew each other, though they didn’t say how.
Multiple witnesses at the scene told the Star-Telegram a woman who knew Rodgers was able to identify Palmer by name when asked by officers. When asked, they told the Star-Telegram they couldn’t remember the name but did remember the initials “KP.”
Court records indicate this isn’t Palmer’s first arrest. He was sentenced to six months in prison in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a weapon in a weapons-free zone near an elementary school.
He also pleaded guilty to tampering with government records, a felony, at the same time, according to court records. He was sentenced to three years in prison on those charges.
Jail records indicate Palmer’s bond on the murder charge has not yet been set.
Officer Daniel Segura, a spokesperson for Fort Worth police, told the Star-Telegram that police “will see if any other charges are added in the next days,” including possible charges of a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm.
The shooting in the West 7th entertainment district was at least the third in as many years. While some people feel the area isn’t safe, especially on weekend nights, they told the Star-Telegram the shooting hasn’t deepened their concern.
Those who feel that the area is at least generally safe said the shooting didn’t change their view of the neighborhood, either.
Fort Worth police Sgt. Jason Spencer said at a news conference Monday that police take safety in the West 7th entertainment district seriously.
Around 8,000 to 10,000 people visit the nightlife hub on any given weekend night, Spencer said. The department has a dedicated division of 25 officers whose primary job is patrolling the West 7th district on weekend nights. They are often joined by other police in the area.
Some people who work in and frequent the West 7th area told the Star-Telegram the day after the shooting they worry that more police could increase tensions. Others feel that more police spread out through the area could mean opportunities to stop fights before they turn violent.
Last year, police confiscated more than 100 guns in the area, Spencer said.
The city of Fort Worth boosted police presence in the entertainment district last fall after a shooting that killed TCU student Wes Smith outside a bar on Bledsoe Street in September. Police arrested 21-year-old Matthew Purdy, who they say admitted to shooting Smith, a stranger to him, without providing any clear reason why.
In 2022, a man opened fire into a crowd at Varsity Tavern, injuring two people. That man was killed in a quadruple homicide in the city’s Morningside neighborhood later that year. Police at the time said they believed four people, all in a vehicle together, shot each other during a drug deal gone wrong.
This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 8:32 PM.