HOUSTON – A 58-year-old man has been arrested and charged Wednesday in connection with the deadly shooting of his friend in a Fifth Ward apartment.
Francis E. Otalor, of Houston, is charged with murder in the shooting death of 48-year-old Derrick Beasley, according to court documents.
It happened Tuesday night at Kennedy Place in the 3100 block of Gillespie. Otalor had two friends visiting his apartment. Just before midnight, the two men got into an argument, investigators with the Houston Police Department said.
Otalor pulled a gun to threaten Beasley. However, the gun fired with one shot hit Beasley in the head.
Otalor ran to a neighbor's door for help. That neighbor would only give KHOU 11 News her first name, Sentara. She says the shooter is her home health care patient. He recently had heart, lung and stomach surgery, she said.
"I woke to a loud bang," Sentara said. "It was my patient. He was telling me he got into it with somebody and he had killed him. He said he ain't mean to. He was like, 'Baby, I killed him. I killed him.' I said what do you mean? He said it was an accident, but I shot my friend. I killed him."
Sentara said she called 911 and ran downstairs to check on the victim.
"I saw the victim (Beasley) lying on the floor," Sentara said. "It was a mess. Blood (was) everywhere. (The woman with Beasley) was giving him CPR trying to bring him back to (life). She was crying."
Beasley later died at Ben Taub Hospital. Otalor was taken away with detectives for questioning.
"He was like they got into it," Sentara said. "He said it was an accident. I saw him crying, begging and pleading and stuff. I told him you have to be strong now."
Otalor remains in jail with bail set at $50,000.
