longtime customers rally behind clerk charged with murder
The Austin Police Division (APD) arrested a 25-year-old man for homicide following a capturing in East Austin. This hasn’t stopped longtime clients from coming to the protection of Yaseen Naz.
Police mentioned on Sunday, round 11:14 p.m., officers responded to a capturing on the Shell gasoline station at 4509 E Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
When officers arrived, they discovered 42-year-old Marquis Demps inside a automobile within the gasoline station car parking zone with gunshot wounds to his physique. Police mentioned Demps died on the scene.
All through the investigation, detectives decided Demps was concerned in an altercation with an worker of the Shell, Naz.
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Police mentioned after the altercation, Demps got here into the shop and destroyed property earlier than leaving. It’s not recognized what led to the disturbance. Later, Naz allegedly shot Demps.
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Regardless of this, clients who frequent the family-owned Shell gasoline station can’t say sufficient good issues about Naz.
“At all times in a very good temper. Beneficiant, respectful. Only a enjoyable man,” mentioned Cortney Sherman, a distributor who works with the shop.
“Each time I come right here, he makes me chuckle. I make him chuckle like we have now. That is my boy,” mentioned common buyer Vetrice Smith.
“He would by no means do something like that except, you understand, one thing needed to go down,” mentioned Jojo, one other common buyer.
Based on court docket paperwork, Demps got here into the shop and brought about a verbal disturbance that turned bodily.
“There was some sort of altercation occurring inside the shop, and that’s what began every part,” mentioned Austin Police Officer Alexandra Parker early Sunday morning.
Based on court docket paperwork, Naz instructed police Demps waved a knife on the employees, so Naz grabbed a gun, telling Demps to depart. As a substitute, court docket paperwork say surveillance video exhibits Demps trashing the shop.
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Naz’s father confirmed FOX 7 the broken merchandise and show instances within the retailer. He says Demps broke the glass on the counter and ripped out the pc and bank card machine.
“Generally it is the folks which can be humble that you understand, unhealthy folks count on them to not do something,” mentioned longtime buyer Michael Dunn.
However police say Naz did do one thing. As Demps left, Naz adopted him into the car parking zone and shot him a number of occasions by way of his automobile window. Police particularly cited these circumstances within the homicide warrant.
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“He do not deserve that. He does not deserve first-degree homicide,” mentioned Dunn. “I really feel prefer it’s in a means it is not self-defense, however it’s self-defense.”
Naz is being held on the Travis County Jail on $1 million bond, going through a first-degree homicide cost from Travis County District Legal professional Jose Garza’s workplace. He’s due in court docket Feb. 22.
Austin has struggled with violent crime because the metropolis council voted to slash the police division’s funding by about one-third in August 2020. That funding has since been restored, however scores of APD officers left within the wake of that funding reduce, plus a perceived lack of assist from the mayor and metropolis council on the time. Response occasions to 11th of September calls have reportedly soared since that 2020 funding vote.
