Teen charged with murder in fatal March shooting of Marine after tip leads to arrest, Fort Worth police say
An 18-year-old was arrested in connection with a March shooting that left a man dead and one other person injured after a fight began outside of a party in Fort Worth, according to court documents.
Jayden Garcia was taken into custody on Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on two charges: murder and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
How the shooting unfolded
On March 1, the Fort Worth Police Department said at about 3:40 a.m., officers responded to a shooting call in a parking lot at the 1200 block of NW 35th Street. When they arrived, one victim was found and pronounced dead on the scene. One other victim was located at an area hospital.
Police learned that the location was being used as an after-hours venue and that a large gathering of 100 to 200 people was underway. A fight broke out between two parties and spilled into the parking lot, resulting in shots being fired.
The victim who died at the scene was later identified as 19-year-old Lyndon Clay, who had served in the Marines as a Lance Corporal. According to a fundraiser for his funeral expenses, Clay was about to start a new job in Dallas.
Tip leads to suspect's arrest
According to the arrest warrant, the Fort Worth Police Department said officers found over 100 shell casings and combed through surveillance video, which showed a "clear altercation that occurs inside the venue" – two men vs. another two men.
As two men walked away from the fight toward the grassy parking lot, the first gunshot was fired from that area, police said.
On April 20, Fort Worth PD received a tip that led investigators to Garcia, who they learned had been "boasting about killing the victim," the warrant said.
The tipster told police that Garcia said that he was at the party and someone stole his jewelry. Garcia allegedly said he went to his car to grab his gun and fired off a warning shot, but the people he was arguing with shot back, so he "unloaded two full magazines and saw the victim go down."
Garcia allegedly admitted to the tipster that he still had the gun with him and stored it at his grandmother's home, where Garcia was living.
Investigators also gathered information about the suspect's vehicle and found that Garcia was previously arrested for accidentally killing his friend in 2023.
Investigators then positively identified Garcia using a photo of him wearing the same shirt that he was seen in at the party in Fort Worth, along with the person Garcia was with when the shooting happened, the warrant said.
On May 8, investigators executed a search warrant at Garcia's grandmother's home, where they met Garcia at the door.
Garcia led investigators to the location of the gun and allegedly admitted to it being used to kill the victim, Clay.
After the gun was tested, police secured an arrest warrant, and Garcia was taken into custody for Clay's murder.
