Dallas police are continuing to investigate after they said a tow-truck driver fatally shot a man who jumped into his truck Thursday morning.
A United Tows tow-truck driver was in a parking lot at an apartment complex in the 400 block of East Ledbetter Drive looking for vehicles without parking tags at about 3 a.m.
Police said the tow-truck driver left the truck idling as he stepped to the back of the truck to begin the process of towing a vehicle when he noticed the interior light inside the cab of the truck turn on.
The tow-truck driver returned to the cab to see a man sitting in the driver's seat and who had put the truck into reverse, police said.
That's when the tow-truck driver fired one shot through the driver's side window, striking the man inside, police said.
The shooting victim, later identified by police as 27-year-old Lance Lemons, was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center in critical condition. Police said he died just before 5 a.m.
Police said the tow-truck driver stayed at the scene and has cooperated with investigators. He presented a concealed handgun license from Arizona, and police are checking whether Texas recognizes that out-of-state certification.
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Part of the investigation will examine whether the driver had a right to use deadly force to protect his property from theft, police said.
Lemons did not live at the apartment complex, police said, and his vehicle was not the one about to be towed. Investigators said his vehicle was parked in a visitors lot in another area of the apartment complex at the time of the shooting.
Police are working to determine why Lemons was in the tow truck, and they said the man's family has spoken with investigators and is being helpful with the case.
Apartment complex resident Chris Ford said a tow truck patrols the parking lot nightly.
"You have to have a decal to park here," he said. "If you don't, you will be towed."
The owner of United Tows declined to comment to NBC 5.
