Nationwide — Desmond Butler, a 25-year-old African American man who works as an Amazon supervisor, was shot and killed by Jonathan Ross Mata, a father who mistakenly thought he was his daughter’s kidnapper.
In keeping with The New York Submit, the incident started when Mata and his spouse acquired a panicked name from their 19-year-old daughter, who stated she had been attacked. Confused about the place she can be picked up, the mother and father rushed to a close-by Shell fuel station.
Surveillance footage reveals Butler driving his grey SUV into the fuel station, unaware of the unfolding state of affairs. Mata’s spouse ran towards the car, considering it carried their daughter. Butler then accelerated, and Mata adopted, firing his pistol. The photographs brought about Butler to lose management and crash right into a pole.
After the crash, Mata and his spouse realized Butler was not their daughter’s boyfriend. In keeping with the criticism, Mata stated one thing like, “Oh, we had been on the lookout for our kidnapped daughter. I’m sorry, we’ll name 911,” earlier than driving away.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after, and Butler was taken to a hospital, the place he later died. Mata turned himself in days later and faces homicide expenses. He has since been launched after posting a $50,000 bond. He’s scheduled to seem in court docket on February 25.
Butler’s household, who dwell in Georgia, stated Butler moved to Houston in 2023 for work and had not too long ago turn into an Amazon supervisor. They described his loss of life as “devastating” and stated they’re nonetheless searching for solutions. “We simply need solutions on why him? My brother was a light-weight of pleasure,” she stated.
