Jaylon Barnes, 19 is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Justice Xavier Hansel Lee, 25.
Bexar County jail
Tayvarie Brunson, 18, is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Justice Xavier Hansel Lee, 25.
Bexar County jail
Two men have been charged in the deadly West Side shooting of a 25-year-old man in an alleged plot to avenge the death of their family member.
Jaylon Barnes, 19, and Tayvarie Brunson, 18, were arrested Friday and charged with murder in the death of Justice Xavier Hansel Lee, 25. They are in custody at the Bexar County jail with bail set at $300,000 and $200,000, respectively.
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The shooting took place around 6 p.m. March 8 when Lee was visiting his grandmother at the Cable Ranch Apartments in the 8600 block of Waters Edge Drive, near Loop 410 and Marbach Road, according to arrest affidavits.
During Lee’s visit, Barnes and Brunson “came over with firearms” and began shooting at him, according the affidavits. As Lee ran from the apartment to his car in the parking lot, he returned fire and was shot.
Officers responded and found Lee dead in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the “upper body.” The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled Lee’s death a homicide, caused by gunshot wounds.
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A witness told police that they saw two suspects, believed to be Barnes and Brunson, running into a nearby apartment where Lee’s older brother lived. Accompanying them was Lee’s younger brother, who was injured in the shooting and taken to the hospital.
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Investigators learned that Barnes and Brunson “became upset and sought revenge” for the death of their relative, 21-year-old Dayviontay Brunson. He died while acting as Lee’s accomplice in a “failed robbery” in August 2024, according to the arrest documents.
The affidavits say Lee was arrested in connection with Dayviontay Brunson’s death. Court records show he was charged with aggravated robbery.
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Video footage leads police to suspects
Brunson left the scene after the shooting but Barnes stayed and spoke to police, confirming he was at the scene when the gunfire broke out. He said he was arguing with Lee but denied being involved in the shooting, according to the affidavits.
He told police that about an hour before the shooting, he was involved in a “civil disturbance” with his girlfriend at his Northeast Side apartment. Police responded, and body-camera footage showed Brunson was also present.
After the incident, Brunson drove Barnes to the Cable Ranch Apartments, according to the affidavits. He told police he went there to visit his grandmother, the same woman Lee was visiting.
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While both Lee and Barnes referred to the woman living in the apartment as their grandmother, police have not confirmed whether the two men are related.
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Investigators obtained video footage of the shooting that showed Barnes approaching the grandmother’s apartment with a gun. A different video showed Brunson running toward the apartment with a rifle. They were wearing the same clothes seen in the bodycam footage from earlier that day.
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When police searched the apartment where the pair fled after the shooting, they found two guns that matched spent shell casings found at the scene. They appeared to be the guns seen in the footage.
If convicted on the murder charges, Barnes and Brunson could face a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000 fine. Barnes faces additional charges of drug possession and unlawful carry of a weapon in connection with an unrelated arrest March 3.