DeSoto

Man in Custody in Arizona in Deadly DeSoto Shooting: Police

Evan McMaryion has been charged with capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

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A 19-year-old man suspected in a May 15 shooting that killed one man and wounded a woman is in custody in Arizona, DeSoto police say.

Randall "Scott" Thornhill, 34, had been sitting in his car at the gate of a property in the 300 block of South Elerson Road waiting to drop off his 5-year-old stepson when Thornhill and his 29-year-old passenger Heather French were shot, police said.

Thornhill was taken to a local hospital, where he died. His passenger was also hospitalized. Her injuries were not thought to be life-threatening, police said.

Randall Thornhill, 34, had been sitting in his car at the gate of a property when he and his 29-year-old passenger were shot, DeSoto police said.
Courtesy/Holly Jones

In a phone interview with NBC 5 Saturday, Thornhill's youngest sister Holly Jones said their family was still processing what happened to her brother. Most of their family lives in Arkansas and had plans to visit Thornhill this summer in Texas.

"He was an outgoing person. He loved everybody. He never met a stranger. He loved going to the races. He loved mudding. He loved his family," Jones said. "He meant everything to us and was taken away for no reason."

Myrinda Ramey of DeSoto said she heard the gunshots Saturday night. Though she did not know Thornhill personally, she said the drop-off involving the child was routine.

"The property this happened at is our family property. My mother and uncle own the two homes on the 16 acres The boy’s father is the ranch hand. He lives on the property, and this was a routine visitation drop-off," she said. "It’s just very unsettling. It’s been very traumatic for our family that lives on the property, not knowing if it was random or targeted."

DeSoto police tracked the suspected shooter, Evan McMaryion, to Arizona, where he was already in custody after he was found to be driving a vehicle stolen out of DeSoto.

McMaryion, a DeSoto resident, is being held in the Pinal County jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He faces extradition back to Texas.

Police believe carjacking was the motive in the shooting.

The shooting is the third homicide in the city in the last four weeks.

DeSoto Mayor Rachel Proctor said Saturday that the shootings were isolated and disturbing, but do not represent the overall crime in the city.

Camran Kashawn Collier, 19, was fatally shot in his car in the 1100 block of Westlake Drive on April 22 in what police said was thought to be a robbery.

At an April 25 balloon release ceremony honoring Collier, one of the attendees, Kolby Marquise Graham, was shot in the head by Collier's brother, police said.

Graham, 20, died several days after the shooting.

Police said Collier's 22-year-old brother, Norman Christopher Collier, shot Graham in revenge for his brother's slaying after mistakenly believing internet rumors that named Graham as the killer.

A 16-year-old was arrested May 12 in Dallas in Collier's death. DeSoto police said they had identified him early in the case, but he had gone into hiding.

On Saturday, DeSoto police Chief Joseph Costa encouraged residents to report accurate information to police and not rely solely on social media posts. He called the three homicides "senseless acts of gun violence."

Costa said city officials are working to develop programs that they hope would reduce gun violence in the city, including a gun surrender program.

"Gun violence has just taken over and there are people out there who don't value life or respect other people's property," Costa said. "It's easy to use a gun or violence to solve ... issues."

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