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A 28-year-old Fort Worth man faces a murder charge after he killed his cousin following a fight Saturday in the parking lot of a store where a group was celebrating the suspect’s birthday, police said.
Darrian Desean Houston, 33, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website.
Kenyon Collins, who witnesses said was the victim’s cousin and his good friend, was arrested Monday and faces charges of murder and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to Fort Worth jail records and an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram.
Officers responded to calls about a large group fight near the intersection of Miller Avenue and East Berry Street about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. When officers arrived, they learned about the shooting, which happened outside the New Saver K Store in the 4100 block of East Berry, police have said.
The officers found Houston in the parking lot of the convenience store. Police said medical personnel tried to revive the shooting victim, but he died at the scene.
Cousin killed after fight, shots fired
A group of people including Collins and Houston were drinking in the parking lot and celebrating Collins’ birthday late Friday night, July 31, a homicide detective wrote in the affidavit.
Witnesses told detectives that Houston and someone’s sister, whose name has been redacted in the affidavit, got into a verbal argument, and he threw a beer bottle at the woman.
Others at the gathering tried to de-escalate the argument when Houston fired two rounds toward the ground and one round in the direction of another person whose name has been redacted, according to the affidavit.
One man, who has not been publicly identified, was struck by a bullet in his leg and was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, according to police.
During his interview with the detectives, Collins said that after hearing the first disturbance, he believed his cousin was shooting but he did not see. Collins said he tried to calm things down, then took the handgun from Houston and gave it to a woman, who left in her car, the affidavit stated.
Collins told police he tried to get Houston to leave the parking lot, and they fought in between cars. A detective wrote in the affidavit that in a surveillance video, Collins could be seen walking away from the fight and he was followed by Houston.
According to the affidavit, Collins then got a Taurus 9mm handgun and walked back toward Houston and shot him. The detective wrote that it did not “appear immediately necessary” for the suspect to shoot the victim.
During the fight, Collins told detectives, his cousin punched his sister and threatened to kill them. The suspect said he tried to walk away but he heard Houston continue to yell.
Collins told detectives that he saw Houston fall, but he believed he had shot him in the shoulder and he did not think he would die, the affidavit stated.
This story was originally published August 4, 2026 at 5:01 PM.
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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.