A Texas father is accused of gunning down an Amazon delivery driver, mistaking him for his daughter’s boyfriend.
Jonathan Ross Mata, 39, is accused of murder after fatally shooting Desmond Butler, 25, at around 1am on Christmas day, per the Houston Police Department.
The department released shocking surveillance footage that captured the moments leading up to and during the shooting.
Butler was driving his gray Honda Pilot through a gas station in Bellaire when he passed Mata’s black GMC Acadia at the pumps.
As Butler drove past, Mata’s wife got out of the SUV, chased his Honda, and tried to open the car door.
She believed her daughter was inside, and at the same time, Mata got out and fired shots at Butler’s car, the police said.
Butler then tried to drive away but crashed into a pole. The husband and wife left the scene, according to the department.
Desmond Butler, 25, was gunned down after a Texas father allegedly thought he was his daughter’s boyfriend
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Mata’s wife got out of the SUV, chased his Honda, and tried to open the car door, per the police
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Butler’s gray Honda driving out of the gas station after shots were fired
Houston Fire Department paramedics rushed Butler to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to investigators, Mata and his wife went to the gas station after receiving a call from their daughter saying she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, believing she had been dropped off there.
There was a woman in Butler’s passenger seat, and the couple initially believed it was their daughter, according to the HPD.
Police said that, upon further investigation, the victim and the shooter did not know each other.
Court documents showed that Butler’s female passenger testified and said Mata drove up to the Honda after he crashed into the pole, KHOU 11 reported.
Mata allegedly opened the vehicle’s door, looked inside, said he was searching for his ‘kidnapped’ daughter, apologized, and said he would call the police, according to the outlet.
The shooter confessed that he fired two shots to stop the Honda but didn’t realize he had struck Butler, according to court documents obtained by KHOU 11.
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Butler in his high school graduation portrait, he had just moved from their home in Georgia to Houston in 2023 to work for Amazon, becoming a manager
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Butler and his family, they are devastated over his tragic death
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Surveillance footage of the shooting unfolding, allegedly Mata’s wife exiting the car, per the police
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More surveillance footage of the shooting incident, upon further investigation, the victim and the shooter did not know each other
Mata added that he didn’t call 911 because he was ‘scared,’ per the outlet.
Butler’s family spoke out about his death, saying they are ‘devasted’ and that he was a ‘light of joy.’
The 25-year-old had moved from their home in Georgia to Houston in 2023 to work for Amazon, becoming a manager.
‘We’re keeping each other tight and close and keeping his memories alive,’ his sister Destiny told the outlet.
Mata turned himself in on Wednesday and was booked into the Harris County Jail. He has been released on $50,000 bond, per the outlet.
