Accused West 7th shooter killed man over argument about relationship, warrant alleges
Karlove Palmer shot and killed Bryson Rodgers on Saturday night in Fort Worth’s West 7th entertainment district after an argument about someone Palmer was dating, Fort Worth police alleged in an affidavit supporting a warrant for Palmer’s arrest.
Rodgers’ group was standing on the sidewalk vaping a short while after the argument when Palmer, from the across the street, yelled that he heard Rodgers and his friends talking about him, according to the affidavit obtained Tuesday by the Star-Telegram. Rodgers mimed a slap in Palmer’s direction, and Palmer began to shout at Rodgers to “come slap me” before crossing the street and approaching Rodgers and his group, the document states.
The warrant alleges Rodgers told Palmer that “the issue was not that serious,” but Palmer continued trying to get him to fight. Eventually, Rodgers handed his flip flops and phone to a friend, making it appear he was going to fight, and Palmer shot him five times, police allege. It appears that Rodgers didn’t make physical contact with Palmer, according to the affidavit.
Palmer turned himself in to police Monday night, according to news releases from police and his attorneys. He faces a murder charge and is being held at the Tarrant County Jail with bond set at $300,000.
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 a statement Monday. “Until all of the facts are in, we ask that Karlove’s presumption of innocence be observed, and that judgment be withheld.”
Rodgers was shot shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of Crockett Street, sending a portion of the entertainment district into chaos. Police and paramedics were at the scene within minutes, with medical responders applying bandages to Rodgers’ wounds and performing CPR. They shouted to someone from Rodgers’ group that he was being taken to a local hospital and moved him to an ambulance.
Rodgers died at the hospital, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Detective Joey McAnally, a homicide investigator, wrote the affidavit. In it, she shared more details of the police investigation:
Witnesses told police that Palmer was the man who shot and killed Rodgers. They told police that Rodgers said in the initial interaction that he and Palmer “were cool,” and later told some in his group that he and Palmer hadn’t talked since they argued over the phone about a relationship Palmer was in with one of of Rodgers’ friends.
Police also identified Palmer using video that showed him getting into a vehicle after running from the shooting scene. The license plate on the car came back as being registered to Palmer.
Another video shows three of the shots fired, with Palmer being several feet away from Rodgers, police said.
“It does not appear Bryson could have a weapon, and appears to be ducking from the gunshots,” McAnally wrote in the warrant.
Witness statements and video all indicate that Palmer and Rodgers never escalated their argument to a physical fight before shots were fired, the detective wrote.
Police recovered five 9mm shell casings and witnesses reported to police that they heard at least five shots fired.
Tarrant County 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.
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.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 3:21 PM.