The initial reports told a story of a young man and his friends setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July in Texas, and then getting into an altercation with an older neighbor. That argument escalated with both men pulling guns, one man shooting, leaving 19-year-old Devonte Ortiz dead. But that’s not what happened. That first report relied very heavily on 41-year-old shooter Jason Roche’s testimony that during the escalating confrontation between the two, Ortiz reached into his car to grab a gun.
However, police now say that cell phone video shot of the altercation tells a different story. Roche was annoyed that Ortiz was shooting off fires illegally. He came over to confront the teenager, holstering and reholstering his gun a bunch of times.
Roche’s father attempts to intervene, and the video shows the father and Ortiz arguing as well as “mutual shoving of each other,” the affidavit says. At one point, Ortiz pushes the father, and the father falls to the ground, the affidavit says.
At that point, “Jason Roche responded by shooting Ortiz,” the affidavit says.
According to the police, the video shows Ortiz moving “away” from where his guns were, not toward them when Roche opened fire, killing him. The family and community have been rocked, describing Ortiz in glowing terms, a life cut too short. On Friday Roche was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. His bail is $250,000.