FORT WORTH, Texas - A teenager charged in a fatal shooting, outside a Fort Worth after-hours venue, allegedly bragged about killing the victim and later directed investigators to the gun used in the slaying, according to a recently released arrest affidavit.
Fort Worth after-hours club shooting arrest
What we know:
18-year-old Jayden Garcia was arrested on a murder charge in the March 1 shooting death of 19-year-old Lyndon Clay, according to court records.
Jayden Garcia
The arrest affidavit alleges Garcia admitted details of the shooting to others and that forensic testing later linked a Glock 9mm pistol recovered during the investigation to the bullet recovered during Clay's autopsy.
Police details from the March 1 slaying of Lyndon Clay
What they're saying:
Fort Worth police were dispatched about 3:40 a.m. March 1 to the 1200 block of Northwest 35th Street after reports of a shooting. Officers found Clay suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest outside the venue, where investigators estimated 100 to 200 people had gathered. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Two additional shooting victims were treated at area hospitals, including one person struck in the face while leaving the venue in a vehicle.
Police said surveillance video captured an altercation inside the venue before the gunfire erupted outside. Crime scene investigators recovered more than 100 spent shell casings from multiple calibers scattered across the area, according to the affidavit.
Jayden Garcia linked to fatal shooting
What they're saying:
The investigation took a turn in April when Fort Worth police received a Crime Stoppers tip identifying Garcia as the shooter.
According to the affidavit, the tipster told investigators Garcia had been "boasting about killing the victim" and still possessed the firearm used in the shooting. The tipster also alleged Garcia said he went to his vehicle to retrieve a gun after claiming jewelry had been stolen during the party and exchanged gunfire with others outside. Garcia allegedly told others he emptied two magazines and saw the victim fall to the ground.
Investigators said details provided in the tip were corroborated through surveillance footage, vehicle records and witness information. Detectives identified Garcia in video footage showing him at the venue before the shooting and connected a Buick registered to him to the area near the crime scene shortly before the gunfire, according to the affidavit.
Arrest affidavit details murder weapon discovery
13 May 2022, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Rottweil: A Walther PDP Full Size 9mm handgun and 9mm Luger cartridges lie on a table of a sports shooter. Photo: Silas Stein/ (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
The affidavit states that during the investigation, Garcia led authorities to a Glock 9mm handgun located in a bedroom closet at his grandmother's home. When asked whether additional firearms were inside the residence, Garcia allegedly told investigators, "This was the gun that killed the guy."
A subsequent firearms laboratory examination determined that a bullet recovered during Clay's autopsy had been fired from the recovered Glock, according to the affidavit.
Garcia is accused of intentionally causing Clay's death by shooting him with a firearm. Court records show an arrest warrant charging him with murder was issued May 22.
What's next:
It was not immediately clear whether Garcia had retained an attorney who could comment on the allegations. A murder charge is an accusation, and Garcia is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by Fort Worth Police Department and publicly available documents.