Affidavit reveals neighbor dispute over cameras led to fatal Fort Worth shooting, SWAT standoff
Jose Escamilla, 23 (Source: Tarrant County Jail)
FORT WORTH, Texas - A 23-year-old man was charged with murder after video footage captured him trailing a neighbor on a bicycle and shooting him multiple times in his parked car, leading to an hours-long SWAT standoff, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released Tuesday.
Man charged with murder in Fort Worth shooting
Timeline:
Jose Alfonso Escamilla was arrested Monday and charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Rudy Jaramillo.
Fort Worth police officers responded around 8:48 p.m. Sunday to the 5600 block of Talons Crest Circle after receiving reports of a shooting. First responders found Jaramillo dead in the driver's seat of his vehicle, which was parked in the middle of the street in front of his home with several bullet holes.
According to the arrest affidavit, home surveillance footage from neighbors and Jaramillo's spouse showed a suspect wearing dark clothing riding a bicycle behind Jaramillo's car at approximately 8:44 p.m. The suspect then rode up to the parked vehicle and fired several shots into it before riding away. Another video captured the bicyclist returning to a home on Talons Crest Circle shortly after four gunshots rang out.
Fatal Northwest Fort Worth shooting leads to standoff with barricaded suspect
Fort Worth police are investigating a fatal shooting on Talons Crest Circle that left one man dead inside a vehicle and led to an active standoff with a barricaded suspect.
Police identified Escamilla as the only male resident living at the home based on police records and vehicle registration.
When police executed a search warrant on Monday, Escamilla, his mother, and his younger sister were taken in for questioning. His mother told detectives that Escamilla wears only black clothing and owns several bicycles and firearms. She also noted ongoing tension with neighbors, stating Escamilla had called the police a week or two earlier, suspecting a neighbor of moving hidden surveillance cameras in their front bushes.
During police interrogation, Escamilla claimed he was unemployed and had not left the home in three days or ridden a bicycle recently. He acknowledged owning an AR-15 rifle and a .357 revolver. Detectives noted no shell casings were recovered from the murder scene, which is consistent with the use of a revolver.
When investigators asked Escamilla why video surveillance showed him riding a bicycle around the time of the killing, Escamilla invoked his Fifth Amendment right and ended the interview.
Police noted that Escamilla was wearing black shorts and a black hooded sweatshirt during the interview, matching the apparel worn by the suspect on the surveillance video.
Escamilla is currently held in Tarrant County custody with a $250,000 bond and is facing murder charges.
The Source: Information in this article is from the arrest affidavit for Escamilla and previous reporting.