A man has been arrested in connection with a deadly assault on a delivery driver over the weekend in southern Fort Worth.
Responding to reports of an assault in the 3900 block of Wendover Drive on January 13, Fort Worth police officers discovered two victims and an alleged perpetrator. They took Chrisantus Omondi, 27, into custody after using a taser to subdue him at the scene.
Omondi allegedly attacked a man as the latter was making a delivery at a nearby home. The homeowner witnessed the assault and attempted to intervene but was also reportedly attacked.
The delivery driver died of injuries to the head and upper torso prior to the arrival of police. Both the homeowner and Omondi were hospitalized for their respective injuries. The names of both victims have yet to be released.
Omondi was booked in Fort Worth jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault of a security officer, and obstruction or retaliation.
As covered by The Dallas Express, 2024 has gotten off to a bloody start in North Texas, with incidents including an apparent murder-suicide and a deadly home invasion transpiring.
Both incidents occurred in Dallas, where the murder rate swelled by 15% in 2023 compared to the year prior. The new year has already seen seven homicides within city limits as of January 12, according to the Dallas Police Department’s crime analytics dashboard. Black and Hispanic individuals make up the overwhelming majority of murder victims in Dallas, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Police Department has been struggling to curb crime amid a severe staffing shortage. Only around 3,000 officers are currently in its ranks despite a City report recommending 4,000. Budgeting only $654 million for DPD this year, City officials will be spending much less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The effects of this officer shortfall are most apparent in Downtown Dallas, which is rapidly becoming a hot spot for vagrancy and crime. Compared to the downtown area of Fort Worth, which is patrolled by a specialized police unit and private security guards, Downtown Dallas clocks approximately seven times more criminal activity, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.