Lee Douglas, a 36-year-old Fort Worth father of five, had been hospitalized since he was shot on May 30 outside his workplace. He died June 11 at JPS Hospital. An 18-year-old suspect faces a murder charge in his death.
Family photo via GoFundMe
An 18-year-old accused of killing a Fort Worth man at random while traveling through Texas also shot at three other people in an industrial area south of DFW Airport, police allege in an arrest warrant affidavit.
Lee Douglas, a 36-year-old electrician who worked at Refresco Beverages at 15200 Trinity Blvd. in far east Fort Worth, was shot first in the back then again in the face after he fell to the ground.
A witness who saw Douglas get shot told police that the suspect, Decan Medeiros, unsuccessfully tried to enter the Refresco Beverages building before he began shooting early on the morning of May 30, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram.
One of Douglas’ coworkers told police he saw Medeiros stand over Douglas and aim a black pistol at his head after he had shot him in the back, according to the affidavit. The witness turned to yell for other employees who were outside on break to get inside the building and then heard another gunshot.
Medeiros allegedly shot two more rounds at other employees of Refresco Beverages before crossing the street and entering an Oncor Electric warehouse, according to the affidavit.
Four witnesses, including an off-duty game warden officer who was working as a security guard, gave consistent descriptions of Medeiros.
The security guard heard the first four gunshots and saw Medeiros trying to escape by cutting through the Oncor property, according to the affidavit. The guard asked the suspect what he was doing, and Medeiros replied he was “shooting squirrels,” the affidavit states.
The guard pulled his gun and ordered Medeiros to put his hands up, but the suspect ran away and into the warehouse, he told police.
Inside the Oncor warehouse, Medeiros shot three times at an employee operating a forklift, who jumped off the forklift and ducked for cover, the warrant alleges.
Police searched one of three bags that Medeiros was carrying with him during the shooting, the affidavit states. In the bag, they found a dark gray notebook filled with journal entries. It had the words “take notes” written on the front cover, with “take” written by hand and “notes” printed by design. The words “The Book of Taurus” were handwritten on the back cover.
Upon arresting Medeiros about 1,500 feet east of the Oncor warehouse, police said, they found two boxes of ammunition that matched the type of bullets used in the shooting.
Medeiros is in custody at the Lon Evans Corrections Center, part of the Tarrant County Jail system, with bond set at $615,000. He faces charges of murder and aggravated assault.
His father, Ricky Medeiros, told the Star-Telegram that the teen was on a layover after flying into DFW Airport on his way home to Washington state and that he didn’t know anyone in Texas.
Douglas, a father of five, died June 11 at John Peter Smith Hospital.
Cody Copeland
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