The man accused in the fatal shooting of three people — including a toddler and a 4-year-old — on the Fourth of July fired a rifle at a party at a car wash in South Fort Worth, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Kanard Trent Murphy, 26, is facing a capital murder charge in the fatal shooting of 15-month-old Wynter Thouston, 4-year-old Ivy Pierce and 42-year-old Terrell Winn.
The affidavit, which was provided but redacted by Fort Worth police, says Murphy was confronted over past domestic violence against the mother of his child when he picked up a firearm on Thursday.
Murphy was booked into the Fort Worth jail Friday afternoon, according to online records. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Nationwide, the Fourth of July is historically one of the deadliest days of the year. In Fort Worth, the shooting was one of two that erupted at gatherings.
A shooting in East Fort Worth left one person fatally shot and another dead from a medical emergency after a crowd gathered. People were launching fireworks toward homes before the gunfire, police said. No arrests have been announced.
The Fort Worth police chief, Neil Noakes, said in a written statement Friday that the department shares the grief that victims’ families are feeling now.
“My heart breaks for the families who are waking up after the Fourth of July, a day meant for celebration, to grieve the loss of young lives taken from senseless crime,” he said.
Affidavit mentions fight
Police received an emergency call about 11:40 p.m. in which the caller said someone had been shot and was on the ground in the 7500 block of West Cleburne Road, near Sycamore School Road, according to the affidavit.
Officers arrived at the car wash and found Winn wounded by gunfire. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the affidavit says.
Another call came from a hospital at about 11:50 p.m. The caller said multiple children under the age of 5 had been shot and were brought to the hospital by family members, the document says.
A detective went to the hospital and met with several witnesses. They told the detective about a large gathering at the car wash and about a mother who attended with her baby.
Murphy, the child’s father, went to the car wash to see the 11-month-old, according to the affidavit. There were previous domestic violence issues between Murphy and the mother, witnesses told the detective, and there are relatives who don’t like him.
When Murphy got to the party, a cousin confronted him over past violence toward the mother, the redacted affidavit says. Witnesses told the detective that, at first, they appeared to be preparing for a fistfight, with both taking off their shirts.
Murphy was holding his daughter, and put her in his vehicle. He stood back up armed with a rifle and immediately began firing, according to the affidavit.
Young children struck
Murphy chased the person he was firing at, continuing to shoot in his direction and striking a parked vehicle that person was running toward.
Sitting in the back seat were Wynter and Ivy, who were both fatally struck in the torso, the document says. Friends and family members took the wounded to a hospital, where Wynter and Ivy were pronounced dead.
Their older sister was sitting beside them and was wounded by a gunshot to the hand. Another person was wounded in the leg. The detective found none of the injuries to be life-threatening, the affidavit says.
Witnesses told the detective that Murphy fatally struck Winn in the leg.
Bystander takes rifle
A person whom the witnesses did not know fired at Murphy after the shooting, striking him in the back and causing him to drop the rifle, according to the document. A bystander ran and picked up the gun before Murphy could continue shooting, the witnesses told the detective.
The detective had reviewed the crime scene and found shell casings near the north end of the car wash along with blood stains on the ground and automotive glass. In the southeast corner of the parking lot were shell casings from a different firearm.
Murphy spoke with the detective and said the firearm he used was the same caliber as shell casings found at the north end, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly told police he was intentionally shooting at one person and understood pointing one at someone and pulling the trigger could kill or seriously injure them, the affidavit said.
