Thanksgiving has taken a tragic turn for a Fort Worth family after a beloved husband and father of two, Oscar “Beto” Lopez, was found dead in his driveway. The heartbreaking discovery occurred on Davis Avenue, near Mississippi Avenue. According to his grieving widow, Lopez was killed by a neighbor angered over loud music. Meredith Yeomans brings us the story.
Thanksgiving will never be the same for a Fort Worth family after a husband and father of two was found dead in his driveway.
The discovery happened on Davis Avenue near Mississippi Avenue.
The widow of Oscar "Beto" Lopez says he was killed by a neighbor who was upset over his loud music.
“It’s supposed to be a happy time and I can't be happy right now,” said Amanda Fernicola.
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Fernicola says Lopez returned home with food for his family Sunday around 10 p.m. when gunshots were heard outside the home.
She says she saw Lopez’s truck but not him.
“I walk out the back door while calling him and as I'm walking up to the truck, I can see his legs on the ground and for some reason I really, I thought it was a joke. I did not think it was real,” recalled Fernicola.
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Fort Worth police say Lopez was found dead in the driveway and that the suspect, Caspian Swinney, was seen leaving a nearby home and detained.
Detectives say Lopez and Swinney got into a verbal and then physical fight when Swinney fired a handgun multiple times.
“When they tell you that saying about screaming bloody murder, that is literally what I did that night. I literally screamed and screamed and screamed,” said Fernicola.
Fernicola says her surveillance cameras captured the moments before the shooting when Lopez pulled into the driveway for the final time.
“In the videos, you can hear the music and you turn it off and if you listen closely enough it sounds like he says, ‘Can you turn it down’,” explained Fernicola.
She says Swinney had complained about loud music in the neighborhood before.
“He got upset about the music on my birthday and so when I found out it was our neighbor that's what I believe that it was,” said Fernicola. Lopez leaves behind a five-year-old son, a three-and-a-half-month-old son and a widow who’s in disbelief that her husband isn't coming home.
Swinney is in the Tarrant County jail charged with murder.
In an email, Swinney's attorney told NBC 5 its firm is still investigating the facts related to the murder. "Our preliminary investigation leads indicates that this is a case of self-defense. I am sure more details will be forthcoming as the case progresses. As tragic as this incident may be for neighbor's family, it should be noted that Mr. Swinney is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless he is proven guilty at trial. At this early juncture, Mr. Swinney has not even been indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury," wrote Mark Streiff.
