Andrew Russell, 21, was shot to death in the early morning of November 1, in the Fort Worth suburb of Saginaw. Tarrant County Police say a homeowner shot him during an encounter on the homeowner’s porch in the middle of the night.
In an interview with KDFW-TV, Russell’s mother, Cynthia Williams, said that her son had epilepsy and suffered from frequent seizures. In the interview, she also stated that Russell had previously wandered off at night.
On Facebook, Williams wrote about what she believes occurred before her son was killed: “My son was murdered… he had a seizure and became disoriented. In this disoriented state of mind, he walked the neighborhood streets looking for help.” Williams wrote. “He began knocking on doors and finally someone answered.”
According to a police account given to KDFW, Russell knocked on the front doors of three or four homes before knocking on the homeowner’s door, who ended up shooting him.
The homeowner involved told police that he was sleeping at his home in the 600 block of Babbling Brook Drive when he was awakened by a man banging at his door at about 3:52 a.m.
He told the police he asked the man to leave. The man began to do so, but the homeowner said he suddenly turned around and rushed towards him.
The homeowner fired multiple times, leaving Russell lying dead on the front porch.
“This was not justified. The homeowner could have secured himself in the home,” Williams continued in her interview with the news station. “He could have called 911. They could have spoken to him through the door, through a Ring camera.”
Currently, the homeowner has not been arrested as police believe it was a case of self-defense. Police stated there was no indication that Russell was seeking help with a medical issue.
The District Attorney’s Office of Tarrant County announced that they would convene a grand jury to review all the evidence. The grand jury will determine if police should indeed press any charges against the homeowner.
A surveillance camera recorded the incident, and that recording will be part of the investigation.
