A Fort Worth man has been arrested on a murder charge about a month after a fatal shooting outside a motel on East Lancaster Avenue.
Anthony Donnell Birdow, 29, was booked into the Tarrant County Corrections Center on March 11 on a murder charge, according to Tarrant County jail records.
ANTHONY BIRDOW
Birdow was taken into custody in connection with the shooting death of 34-year-old Markell Smith outside a motel room in Lancaster, where a female witness and another person were inside before the confrontation escalated, according to an arrest affidavit cited by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The woman reportedly told investigators that Smith knocked on the room door and began arguing with Birdow inside before the dispute moved into the motel parking lot.
Authorities allege that moments later, a gunshot was heard. One witness told investigators they ran outside after hearing the shot and saw Smith lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest near the entrance to room number 30.
The shooting allegedly occurred on February 10 outside the Central Motel at 5800 East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth.
The suspected shooter then fled the scene on foot, police alleged.
The female witness told investigators she had previously dated Birdow and provided police with his full name, address, and social media profiles, according to the affidavit. Her statement suggested that the argument between Birdow and Smith involved a dispute over a woman, investigators alleged.
Jail records show Birdow is being held without bond after being booked by the Fort Worth Police Department. As of the latest available records, no bond amount had been set, and no attorney had yet been listed for him in the Tarrant County Criminal Courts online database. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The investigation remains ongoing.