A 16-year-old high school football player in Crowley, Texas, was shot to death after talking trash to a 35-year-old man as they competed in a video game, police said.
Tarrant County authorities arrested Deeven Jones after he allegedly shot Tavion Swindell in the chest.
Jones faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the fatal shooting.
Tavion was shot around 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 in the 1200 block of Celeste Street, where he and Jones were playfully berating each other during the game.
Police said both sides engaged in typical “smack talking” that is common among players.
However, tensions escalated after one of these taunting exchanges allegedly set Jones off, and a gun was pulled, according to the arrest report.
Investigators say Jones pressed the gun against Tavion’s chest, fired point blank and fled the scene.
When officers arrived, they found the teen mortally wounded in his chest.
Clinging to life, Tavion was rushed to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where he later died.
Authorities described the shooting as an isolated domestic incident, and the investigation wrapped up the same night when they tracked down Jones in Fort Worth and took him into custody.
Detectives used social media and other techniques to locate the suspect’s vehicle and arrest Jones, who was booked at Tarrant County Jail with a $260,000 bond.
It is not known whether Jones has a lawyer.
The arrest warrant claimed Jones shot the teen, then told a witness at the scene to delay calling the police while he left with the weapon, aiming to hinder the investigation.
Police later found that Jones had used a different cell number to contact his sibling and told that individual that he had discarded his phone.
In an interview with CBS News Texas, Tavion’s mother revealed that Jones is a family member, but she did not explain how he was related. She also stated that Jones called 911 for help — suggesting there was more to the story, but so far officials have not verified this account of what happened.
According to NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth, the witness who spoke to police at the scene reported hearing Tavion say, “I can’t wait to play the game and beat (expletive).” Jones allegedly replied, “You can’t even beat my (expletive), lil boy.” Tavion responded, “Who can’t?” and that’s when the conversation turned deadly.
Family members of the young victim said are struggling to make sense of how a disagreement over a video game could escalate into such a devastating tragedy.
The victim’s father, Henry Gary, told FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth that Jones was a family friend. The shooting took place at Jones’ home, where his father said Tavion would frequently hang out with his teenage friends.
“For one, you shouldn’t been around those kids while they was playing games no way,” Gary said.
Michelle Morgan, executive vice president and director of the Family Justice Center at One Safe Place, also noted the unusual nature of the case and acknowledged that many questions remain about the events leading up to Jones allegedly shooting the teen.
“From a crime prevention standpoint, we have this tragic death of a 16-year-old that could have been preventable,” said Morgan, whose agency prioritizes crime prevention. “It looks like the family didn’t manage a conflict – and if it was over a video game, I would also assume it was violent in nature, which is another possible factor.”
Tavion, lovingly called “Tay Bug” and “Teddy Bear,” was a football player at Southwest High School in Fort Worth. He had dreams of making it to the NFL and becoming an engineer. His sudden death didn’t just shatter those aspirations; it plunged his family into unimaginable grief, robbing them of a future they had hoped to share with him.
“He was just a fun-loving kid; he always would mess with you and be smiling about it,” Tavion’s uncle, Raymond Andrew Jr., told NBC 5. “I’m telling you, he had a good heart. It kind of pisses you off because the kid hasn’t even lived. He hasn’t even gotten out of school.”
“Based off of what we know at this point in time, and what the family has told us, it doesn’t really fit that sort of pattern that we consistently see,” Morgan told CBS.
This week, the school Principal John Engel sent a letter to parents, announcing that counselors will be available to support both grieving students and staff.
“Our hearts are heavy, as we learned a student of the Southwest High School family passed away,” he wrote. “We extend our love and sympathy to their family during this time. This is an emotional time for us all, and experiencing a loss is always difficult to understand for students and staff. The campus has support in place for crisis counseling should your child feel the need to speak to someone. I encourage you to be attentive and listen to your child and look for possible signs that they may need additional help.”
