Inset from left to right: Alfred Jackson Jr. and Olivia Guster (Denton County Jail). Background: The QuikTrip where Jackson is alleged to have shot a man in Denton, Texas (Google Maps).
Following a dispute over the right of way at an all-night gas station in North Texas, one individual has died, and two others are now in custody, according to the police in the Lone Star State.
Alfred Jackson Jr., 26, and Olivia Guster, 24, have been charged with murder, as indicated by records from Denton County Jail. In addition, Jackson faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evasion of arrest or detention.
The incident occurred just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, according to a press release issued by the Denton Police Department.
A 911 call alerted dispatchers to a fight in the parking lot of the QuikTrip on West Eagle Drive. During the call, gunshots rang out.
Officers arrived to find Fernando “Toby” Carranza, 30, with “an apparent gunshot wound,” and attempted to provide assistance, as reported by the police department. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
In a GoFundMe for funeral expenses, the slain man was remembered as a person who led a life “full of promise, love, and kindness.”
Eyewitnesses reported to authorities that two individuals involved in the shooting had escaped, and the police later intercepted their vehicle on University Drive, approximately 2.5 miles from the gas station. During this stop, it is claimed that Jackson “ran from officers,” according to police.
Guster is said to have remained with the vehicle, and both were eventually arrested and charged with Carranza”s murder.
“The investigation revealed that Jackson, Guster, the victim, and the victim’s friend engaged in a verbal altercation over a right-of-way situation in the parking lot,” the press release states. “Evidence indicated that the argument escalated into a physical confrontation when Jackson struck the victim’s friend with a shovel. Guster also attacked the victim and his friend. Further evidence showed Jackson fired at the victim and aimed the gun at the victim’s friend before escaping with Guster, who drove the vehicle away. The victim and his friend were unfamiliar with the suspects.”
Court documents obtained by Dallas-based ABC affiliate WFAA closely align with the police department’s initial narrative.
The right-of-way argument seemingly turned physical when Jackson allegedly knocked Carranza to the ground with a shovel before pulling out a gun and shooting him in the chest, according to surveillance footage cited in those court documents.
Guster shared her side of the story during a jailhouse phone call with the TV station.
“I got out the truck…trying to break it up,” she said. “The boy had punched me in the nose, busted my lip.”
Guster’s mother also spoke with WFAA – demanding answers.
“I just want my child back. My child went to Texas on a vacation, and she’s incarcerated,” she told the TV station. “So we want to know why my child is being charged with murder. She didn’t do anything but defend herself. Because someone attacked her. She didn’t attack anyone. They attacked her.”
The victim’s aunt, who is hosting the online fundraiser, offered comments to WFAA as well.
“He had a family,” she said. “He had a big heart. He was giving. We are going to miss him a lot.”
Jackson is being detained in the Denton County Jail on $2.11 million bond. Guster is detained in the same lockup on $1 million bond.
