A Fort Worth mall security guard is facing a murder charge following the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old suspected jewelry thief. Tyron Henton, 31, shot Deavyn Holt during an incident at La Gran Plaza after Holt allegedly smashed a jewelry kiosk and attempted to flee with stolen items.
The shooting occurred on October 14, shortly before the mall’s closing time. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Henton claimed he fired at Holt because the latter was wielding a hammer and had run past a child during his escape. However, police investigations and witness accounts indicate that Holt did not pose an imminent threat to anyone, as confirmed by security footage.
Henton, who was employed by Tactical Enforcement Protective Division as an armed guard for the Electronic Plus kiosk and the ParadIce Jewelry store, reported that he began pursuing Holt after hearing glass shatter. The affidavit details that Holt had entered the mall masked and used a hammer to break a jewelry display, taking a selection of gold necklaces before fleeing.
During the pursuit, Henton reported seeing Holt with the hammer and believed he constituted a danger to the nearby child. He drew his firearm and fired two separate sequences of shots—first while inside the mall and then again after both men had exited the building. However, police later determined that Holt did not exhibit any threatening behavior with the hammer.
Officer Cynthia Wood of the Fort Worth Police Department emphasized that the use of deadly force is only justified in response to a lethal threat. She stated that Henton’s actions were unwarranted, as there was no immediate danger present at the time of the shooting. “No one was in danger at the time,” she noted, highlighting that the theft alone did not justify the use of lethal force.
The incident has left employees at the mall shaken, with some reporting noticeable changes in security presence following the shooting. Henton is currently being held in Tarrant County jail, where his bond is set at $100,000 as the investigation continues.
