One of the people arrested in the 2022 shooting death of a well-known Dallas restaurant owner, Chin Shin, no longer faces a murder charge.
Tarrant County prosecutors dismissed the charge against Markynn West. Now that the charge has been dropped, Fort Worth Pastor Kyev Tatum and other community leaders have called for a civil rights investigation into the Fort Worth Police Department.
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WATCH HERE“It takes someone with wisdom and knowledge and integrity and good judgment to see it and call it like it is,” said Tatum.
West’s attorney, Lesa Pamplin, said it was a video showing Jin first pointing a gun at West and his friends that played a critical role in the charge being dropped.
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SIGN UP “The higher-ups in the administration looked at it and they dismissed the case,” Pamplin said.
Following the dropped charges, NBC 5 received a statement from West through his attorney that reads in part:
“This is all new for me, things are moving fast and it’s pretty overwhelming to say the least. Right now, while I’m in the process of recovery I think it’s best that I take a step back and decide the best way I would like to move forward for the safety of myself and my child.”
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The Fort Worth Police Department responded to NBC 5’s request for comment on the recent developments with a statement that reads:
“The Fort Worth Police Department has been working closely with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office on this investigation and will continue to do so as all charges move through the court system. Out of respect for the criminal justice process and due to the fact there are other pending charges in this investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”
NBC 5 also reached out to Shin’s sister, Kerri Shin. She released a statement that reads in part:
“To paint a false portrayal as the aggressor against 8 [people] is not fair. Jin provided his email and cell according to his phone log, talked outside with them for 20+minutes, was brutally assaulted and had his key stolen from his Jeep…My brother was witty and kind-hearted. Knowing him, he just wanted to get his key back and leave after being punched in the back of the head. No one should have died that terrible night.”
Ultimately, Pamplin said it never should’ve come to this, and she is thankful her client has been cleared.
“I thought it was a political game played with his life and everyone else's life out there,” she said.
Two other men still face charges in connection to this case. Keeton Sheppard faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Quamon White faces charges of misdemeanor assault.
Click here to read more on this story from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.
