Insets, from left: Otis Parks (Houston police) and John Donat (GoFundMe). Background: The Houston, Texas, hotel in the 2100 block of South Highway 6 where Parks allegedly shot Donat to death (Google Maps).
A Texas man is accused of fatally shooting a chef who was handing out food to homeless people outside a Houston hotel, authorities said. The victim, police said, understood the hardships many of them faced because he had struggled with addiction himself.
Otis Parks, 30, has been charged with capital murder in the death of 58-year-old John Donat, according to a Houston police news release.
Officers were called to a hotel in the 2100 block of South Highway 6 at about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday after reports of a shooting. They found Donat lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. A Chevrolet Tahoe had also crashed through a wooden fence in the parking lot.
Paramedics pronounced Donat dead at the scene.
Witnesses told investigators that Donat had been driving the Tahoe and distributing food. One woman said she saw a man approach the passenger side of the vehicle and demand money.
The woman said she was walking away when she heard gunshots. Moments later, the Tahoe crashed into the fence.
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Police later arrested Parks, who allegedly fit the description provided by witnesses.
Donat’s son, Nick Donat, told local CBS affiliate KHOU that his father worked as a chef and lived at the long-term-stay hotel where he was killed. He said his father regularly prepared meals for homeless people.
“He is a very helpful person,” Nick Donat told the station. “He’s been doing this a lot over the past couple of years.”
John Donat was a South Carolina native and the father of two, according to a GoFundMe campaign. He collected supplies from local food banks, cooked them and then distributed meals to people in need. The fundraiser said he felt a particular connection to those battling drug addiction because he had faced addiction himself.
His son said he was devastated that someone allegedly killed a man who was trying to help others.
“I mean, that person did a terrible thing to someone I love and trust and depend on,” the younger Donat said.
Parks remains held in the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 14.
