The man charged in the shooting deaths of a teenager and a young child in Fort Worth last week was arrested for stealing seven chicken wings – just as his alleged partner was confessing to homicide detectives, according to court records.
Anthony Bell-Johnson, 21, faces capital murder charges in connection with the Aug. 28 shooting of a teenager and two young children in the front yard of their home on Steel Dust Drive in Northwest Fort Worth.
Jamarrien Monroe, 17, and Rayschard Scott, 5, were killed. The teenager’s 18-month-old son was wounded.
In Bell-Johnson’s arrest warrant, detectives spelled out how they solved the case.
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According to the warrant, surveillance videos from neighbors showed a silver SUV parking nearby right before shots rang out. Several suspects, one armed with a white compact rifle, got out of the vehicle.
When homicide detectives compared notes, they realized a white rifle was used in another capital murder in June in which a 14-year-old was identified as the suspect.
Detectives searched the teen’s house and recovered two assault rifles in the room of his 16-year-old brother.
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A search of the 16-year-old’s cellphone found a video of him with a similar white rifle two hours before the triple shooting. GPS data showed him in that area one hour earlier and then stopped recording his location.
Detectives then used the GPS data and compared it to city cameras which indicated Bell-Johnson was in a silver Chevy Equinox which had been stolen earlier from a lot on Northeast 28th Street.
The SUV – even the rims – appeared the same as the suspect’s vehicle in the Steel Dust shooting.
The teenager was taken to the homicide office where he confessed, according to the arrest warrant.
He admitted being in the Equinox and said he fired one shot at the family in the front yard and added that Bell-Johnson, whom he called “one leg,” fired multiple times.
At the same time the teen was confessing, homicide detectives said they learned Bell-Johnson had just been arrested at a Walmart on McCart Avenue. According to a police report, he was arrested for stealing seven chicken wings and for having a prohibited weapon.
Bell-Johnson was then questioned by homicide detectives but denied being involved.
At the time of his arrest, Bell-Johnson had a key in his pocket belonging to the Equinox which police by then had recovered.
The warrant offers no details about the motive for the shooting.
The 16-year-old is not being identified because he is a juvenile but he is believed to be in custody.
Bell-Johnson remains in the Tarrant County Jail on more than $750,000 bond.
