An online gun trade turned into a fatal ambush, detectives say, adding that digital evidence and surveillance video helped track down the second alleged gunman.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Police have made a second capital murder arrest in connection with the deadly March shooting of a 20-year-old man outside an Arlington convenience store.
Members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force took 20-year-old Dion McGriff-Brown into custody on July 23 in Dallas without incident, according to the Arlington Police Department.
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Homicide detectives obtained a capital murder warrant for McGriff-Brown following additional follow-up investigation into the death of 20-year-old Malachi Hayes.
Another suspect, 20-year-old Aleq Holmes, was arrested on June 4 in Grand Prairie and also charged with capital murder.
The shooting happened around 1:24 a.m. on March 26 in the parking lot of a convenience store in the 2100 block of E. Abram Street, according to police. Officers arrived to find Hayes lying unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to police, surveillance footage captured Hayes walking up to a parked vehicle and showing an item to the driver. The driver attempted to grab the item, sparking a physical struggle, police say. Shots were fired from the vehicle, and Hayes fell to the ground while trying to get away, according to authorities, and the vehicle then sped away.
Detectives reviewed cell phone records showing Hayes arranged to sell or trade a handgun with Holmes via a social media app, police say. The two agreed to meet outside the store to complete the deal.
Police believe McGriff-Brown rode with Holmes to the transaction and that both men intended to rob Hayes. Investigators say cell phone records placed McGriff-Brown at the murder scene and at an address where detectives later recovered the vehicle.
Both McGriff-Brown and Holmes are currently being held in the Tarrant County Jail.