Affidavit outlines road I-20 road rage shooting from Thursday.
Erin Hooley/TNS
A man told Fort Worth detectives he fired once at a passing sedan on Interstate 20 and saw the bullet strike its passenger-side window, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released Friday.
The sedan’s driver, LaTaivia Davis, was an instructional aide at E. Ray Elementary, according to Everman ISD’s staff directory. She was found fatally wounded Thursday morning after her car stopped along eastbound I-20 near Granbury Road.
Patrick Lapaul Lawrence, 37, said Davis’ sedan had tailgated his blue Volkswagen SUV as he merged onto the interstate before crossing the on-ramp markings and passing him on the left, the affidavit says.
Article continues below this ad
Lawrence faces a murder charge in Davis’ death. A magistrate signed an arrest warrant Thursday evening, and Lawrence was booked about 8:20 p.m. before being transferred to the Tarrant County jail, according to Fort Worth police records. A bond amount was not listed Friday.
Related: Plano man arrested after wife found dead during welfare check, police say
What Lawrence told detectives
Lawrence told detectives he had left a friend’s apartment near Hulen Street and was driving to his workplace in Justin when he encountered Davis’ sedan, according to the affidavit.
As Lawrence traveled north on South Hulen Street, he moved into the far-right lane to enter eastbound I-20. He said he was ahead of the sedan when it began tailgating his SUV.
Article continues below this ad
The sedan then crossed the white on-ramp markings and passed him on the left, according to Lawrence’s account. He said he could not see inside because its windows were darkly tinted.
As the sedan passed, Lawrence pulled out a 9 mm pistol and fired once toward it, the affidavit says. He told detectives he saw the shot strike the front passenger window before he exited the highway and continued to work.
Fort Worth police were dispatched to the shooting about 6:40 a.m. Three witnesses stopped to help Davis, according to the affidavit.
One witness told detectives he heard a loud bang and saw a red car and a blue vehicle involved in what appeared to be road rage. The witness saw the blue vehicle traveling toward the Granbury Road exit with a window down.
The red sedan then swerved onto the highway’s left shoulder. The witness noticed a broken passenger window with what appeared to be a bullet hole and pulled over after the sedan stopped, the affidavit says.
Article continues below this ad
Investigators found Davis slumped over the center console with an apparent gunshot wound to her upper right arm or torso. She was pronounced dead at 6:52 a.m.
Related: Mansfield woman gets 2 life sentences for smothering 9-year-old niece
Camera footage led police to Lawrence
Dashboard-camera footage captured Davis’ sedan and the blue SUV, according to the affidavit. Investigators used an image from the footage and license-plate information to identify the Volkswagen registered to Lawrence.
Officers searching near the Granbury Road exit found a fired 9 mm nickel-coated cartridge casing about 200 feet east of South Drive.
Article continues below this ad
Police surveillance officers located Lawrence’s SUV at his workplace in Justin and watched him leave for lunch. They detained him as he entered the driver’s seat and located a handgun in the driver-side door pocket, the affidavit says.
Detectives told Lawrence he was not under arrest and could leave. He agreed to speak with them in the parking lot and consented to a search of his SUV.
Lawrence told detectives the gun he had fired remained inside the vehicle. Investigators recovered a 9 mm pistol loaded with nickel-coated ammunition that had characteristics consistent with the casing found near the highway exit, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit does not say investigators confirmed a ballistic match.