An Arlington man is facing a capital murder charge after being accused of fatally shooting a car dealer who was repossessing a loaner vehicle on Monday.
Brian Espy, 31, was arrested Wednesday in Grand Prairie by members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by NBC 5 Friday, Espy bought a BWM sedan from Salem Autos about a month ago and returned the vehicle for service. Espy was given a Jeep Grand Cherokee as a loaner while his vehicle was serviced.
An employee of Salem Autos told police that the dealership had repaired the BMW and that Espy's mother had picked up the sedan but the Jeep had not been returned.
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On Monday, May 16, 52-year-old Adel Salem Elhindawi and an employee tracked the Jeep to the 2600 block of Alexis Avenue, the Mark at 2600 apartments, and went to recover the vehicle.
The employee and Elhindawi took his Dodge Charger to the apartment complex, located the Jeep and used a spare key to get into the vehicle. The employee then drove the Jeep toward the exit.
According to the arresting document, a resident of the apartments told police she was inside her apartment when she heard gunshots. She said she looked out her back patio door and spotted a man walking through the parking lot firing a gun at the driver of the Dodge Charger. The woman said the man then got into the passenger seat of a Volkswagen that left through the west parking lot.
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The employee who pulled away in the Jeep also reported seeing a man in the parking lot shooting in their direction. The employee said they accelerated and left the complex, stopping outside to call Elhindawi.
The employee told police that moments later a Volkswagen pulled up and a man got out of the passenger seat and pointed a gun in their direction, saying he knew they worked for Salem Auto and demanded the keys. The employee said they begged to remain unharmed and put the keys on the driver's seat.
As the man got into the Jeep, police said the employee managed to use their cell phone to take photos of both the man and the woman driving the Volkswagen and provided those to police. The apartment complex later confirmed the woman driving the VW lived in the community.
The employee was unharmed. Elhindawi, meanwhile, was hospitalized at Medical City Arlington and died Thursday.
Espy was tracked to Grand Prairie and arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery. With Elhindawi's death, those charges are expected to be upgraded to capital murder.
Officers also arrested 24-year-old Quyanna Massie, who police said is the woman driving the Volkswagen. She was booked into the Arlington City Jail on one count of aggravated robbery.
It's not clear if either Massie or Espy have obtained attorneys.
