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A 20-year-old man has been arrested as the second suspect in a fatal shooting during a gun sale at an Arlington convenience store in March, police said.
Dion McGriff-Brown was arrested on July 23 in connection with the shooting death of 20-year-old Malachi Hayes, Arlington police said in a news release on Monday. Hayes was a former Sam Houston High School basketball player.
Members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force found McGriff-Brown in Dallas and took him into custody, police said.
In June, another 20-year-old man, Aleq Holmes, was arrested as the first suspect in the shooting.
Both suspects face charges of capital murder and are being held in the Tarrant County Jail.
Holmes’ bond is set at $1 million, and McGriff-Brown’s bond is set at $500,000, records show.
Gun sale led to fatal shooting
Hayes was shot on March 26 at a store in the 2100 block of East Abram Street, police said. The homicide victim, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Surveillance footage that captured the shooting showed Hayes walking up to a parked vehicle and presenting an item for the driver to see. According to police, the driver could then be seen trying to grab the item, and a physical struggle ensued.
Moments later, shots were fired and Hayes could be seen in the video falling to the ground as he tried to get away, police said. The shots continued as he collapsed, and the vehicle then sped off.
Detectives obtained cellphone records that showed Hayes had been messaging with Holmes through a social media app to sell or transfer a handgun. The two men had agreed to meet outside the convenience store to make the transaction, according to police.
Investigators determined, through witness statements and additional evidence, that McGriff-Brown rode with Holmes to the meeting with the intent to rob Hayes. Detectives also used cellphone records to place McGriff-Brown at the scene of the shooting and at the location where the vehicle was later recovered, according to the release.
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Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.