North Texas murder suspect shot 15-year-old after argument over video game: warrant
A murder suspect shot a 15-year-old to death after the two argued over a video game at a home in Crowley on Sunday, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The suspect, 35-year-old Deeven Letroy Jones, was arrested in Fort Worth following a manhunt Sunday night, according to police.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Tavion Swindell.
Crowley police received a 911 call about the shooting about 1 p.m. Sunday at a residence in the 1200 block of Celeste Street.
The victim’s sister witnessed the shooting and told police that her brother and Jones had been playing video games Sunday afternoon. While they played, the two exchanged words “commonly associated with ‘smack talking,’” according to the warrant.
“As things continued to escalate Jones indicated that he needed to leave,” and Swindell said he couldn’t wait to play the game again and beat Jones, a detective wrote in the document.
Jones said, “You can’t even beat my (expletive) lil boy,” and he pulled a handgun, placed it against the teen’s chest and fired, the warrant says. After shooting Swindell, Jones asked the teen’s sister “not to call the cops,” according to the document.
The suspect grabbed his car keys and the gun and left the house, police said.
Officers administered first aid to the 15-year-old victim until medics with the Crowley Fire/EMS Department arrived, police said. Swindell was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where he was pronounced dead.
Jones fled the scene of the homicide and was found by Fort Worth officers after Crowley police asked for a search on Sunday evening, police said in a news release.
The initial investigation indicates it was a domestic-violence killing, police said. The relationship between the suspect and the victim is unclear.
Jones was booked in the Tarrant County Jail and faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence, police said. His bond has been set at $260,000.
This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM.
