A Fort Worth man was arrested on Tuesday after surveillance footage apparently showed him cleaning the crime scene and hiding a gun following the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old boy by a 3-year-old last month.
DeCarlos Jordan, 35, was charged with tampering with and removing physical evidence from the scene of a crime, a third-degree felony.
On the night of the shooting, 12-year-old Trey-Shawn Eunes was attending a Juneteenth party with his father at a music studio inside a strip mall in Fort Worth. Eunes was playing a video game inside the building, and his father was grilling food outside when a toddler reportedly picked up an unattended gun and accidentally fired it, striking Eunes.
Eunes ran outside the building to his father, who immediately rushed him to the hospital, where the boy died a short time later.
Detectives who responded to the crime scene found the shell casing of a bullet but no weapon.
Jordan, who was also attending the party, told police he was in another room when he heard a “pop.” He said he ran into the room, picked up a black gun that the toddler dropped, and put it in another room. Jordan claimed that he did not know what happened to the gun after that, according to the arrest warrant.
However, surveillance footage later provided by the owner of the building allegedly shows Jordan removing a gun and a rifle from the scene, as well as other unknown items that he put into a bag.
The video shows that Jordan allegedly used a mop to clean up the blood in the hallway and parking lot, put the mop in the vehicle along with the rifle and unknown items, and drove away. The arrest warrant alleges that Jordan “concealed/removed the firearm that shot Trey-Shawn.”
Eunes’ mother, Lakesha Bay, urged gun owners to put safety first so other parents can avoid the pain she has suffered with the loss of her son.
“Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs you can ever have. And to lose your child, it’s just devastating. I don’t even have words,” Bay told WFAA.
“We are losing our children at a rapid rate because of gun violence, whether it’s purposely or accidental,” said Bay. A gun lock can be purchased for about $10, she noted.
In nearby Dallas, homicides, including manslaughter, are up 12.2% year to date compared to last year, according to a July 27 DPD crime briefing. Crime is rampant in the city’s downtown area, unlike downtown Fort Worth, which has dedicated police units and private security on patrol.
Crime-fighting efforts in Dallas have been hampered by the department’s shortage of sworn police officers. The City needs nearly 900 additional officers to meet recommended staffing levels, which suggest Dallas should have around 4,000 police.
