Frisco police have arrested two people and charged them with capital murder in connection with a shooting outside a Walmart last year that killed one man and injured another.
NBC 5 reported last fall that the family of Army veteran Zachary Lowe said he was leaving his job at Walmart off Preston Road and Hickory Street on Nov. 15, 2023, when he was approached by a man who first asked for a cigarette and then pulled out a gun and demanded money. Lowe, who was 20 at the time, handed over his wallet but was still shot twice in the back, his family said.
Dung Doan, a 62-year-old father of two who recently emigrated to North Texas from Vietnam, was walking home after shopping at the store when he was shot multiple times. Lowe's told NBC 5 last year they believe Doan unintentionally startled the gunman when he walked past, giving the injured Army veteran time to turn and run.
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After surgery to remove his gallbladder and part of his intestines, Lowe survived the shooting. Doan, however, later died at a hospital.
Frisco police on Thursday said information submitted by the public helped detectives identify two suspects in the fatal shooting, 42-year-old Jhirrell Harris and 37-year-old Stephanie Gayden, both of Monroe, Louisiana.
The random acts of violence by Harris and Gayden are unfathomable tragedies that have affected the Doan and Lowe families in ways that cannot be reversed.
Frisco Police Department Assistant Chief Darren Stevens
It was in the Ouachita County Jail in Monroe where Frisco police found Harris, who was being held on an unrelated charge. Detectives traveled to the Louisiana jail this week to deliver documents charging Harris with capital murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. Harris is currently still in jail in Louisiana but he'll be extradited to Collin County.
Gayden was also charged with capital murder and was taken into custody. She is being held in the Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Stevens said he was proud of the hard work and the "unwavering efforts of our detectives" in identifying the suspects and making an arrest, but recognized it would have taken a lot longer without the help of the public.
“I would like to thank the public for their assistance. An anonymous tip received earlier this year through Tip411 helped focus our investigative efforts, and the information we received helped expedite the identification of both subjects involved," Stevens said. "Without question, the power of citizen participation in keeping communities safe cannot be underestimated.”
It's not clear if either Harris or Gayden have obtained attorneys to speak on their behalf. Capital murder convictions in Texas are punishable by either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
