New details have emerged regarding the deadly assault on a delivery driver last weekend in southern Fort Worth.
The murder suspect, 27-year-old Chrisantus Omondi, had reportedly been staying at an Airbnb in the 3900 block of Wendover Drive when he allegedly ambushed a man who was delivering firewood to a residence across the street ahead of the freeze on January 13.
As recalled by the owner of the home in question, Omondi was naked when he ran up on him and the delivery driver, 51-year-old Scotty Edward Jackson.
“This naked man is three inches from my face, holding a key up to me yelling at me that I was on his property. He never wants to see me again. I should leave,” the homeowner told Fox 4 KDFW. “Scott then replied, ‘No, this is his property and his house. Just let us unload firewood because it’s cold outside.’”
Omondi then became violent towards them both, according to several witnesses and video surveillance footage of the incident. The suspect reportedly took a piece of firewood from Jackson’s wheelbarrow, striking both Jackson and the homeowner.
As the homeowner took refuge inside his home and called 911, he saw Omondi turn back to Jackson, beating him to death with the log, according to NBC 5 DFW.
Omondi then returned to his short-term rental across the street. There, the suspect apparently confronted a female tenant in another room while she was doing laundry, threatening to hurt her. Testifying that she thought Omondi was high on drugs, she locked herself in the bathroom, fearing for her life, according to WFAA.
At that point, Fort Worth police arrived at the scene. They confronted Omondi as he was allegedly trying to break into the bathroom, subduing him with a taser after he reportedly failed to comply with their commands.
As previously covered in The Dallas Express, Jackson died of injuries to the head and upper torso prior to the arrival of police, while the homeowner was hospitalized for his injuries.
Jackson’s daughter, Kasey DeLeon, shared a home with him and her two daughters in White Settlement. She spoke to him on the phone shortly before he was killed.
“I’ll never be able to call my dad again. I’ll never be able to see him. At this moment, I have so much hate and so much anger,” said DeLeon, according to Fox 4. “I just hope that justice is served. That’s all I want for my dad.”
DeLeon has started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses, which has already generated nearly $3,900 of its $5,000 goal.
“If it was his last dollar, he’d give it to you,” she told WFAA, adding that he was always embarrassing her with dad jokes and random bouts of dancing.
“I wish I could just tell him … ‘Embarrass me one more time, annoy me one more time. Just bug me,’” she said.
Omondi, who has a criminal record after holding a security guard at gunpoint, is in jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault of a security officer, and obstruction or retaliation. His bond was set at $312,000.
Although this heinous murder was committed in Fort Worth, data suggests this is a deviation from the norm within the city. Studies on Downtown Dallas and the downtown area of Fort Worth have shown that the former clocks around seven times more crime. A specialized police unit and private security guards patrol the latter.
In neighboring Dallas, there have already been 10 homicides reported in the new year as of January 17, according to data from the crime analytics dashboard. Dallas saw a year-over-year increase of 15% in criminal homicides in Dallas, with black and Hispanic individuals making up the overwhelming majority of murder victims.
Despite the Dallas Police Department’s efforts to target crime hotspots, it has been laboring under an officer shortage. While it currently fields around 3,000 officers, a City report advised closer to 4,000 to ensure adequate public safety for Dallas residents. With only $654 million budgeted for DPD this year, City officials will be spending much less than other high-crime jurisdictions, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
