BURLESON (1080 KRLD)- Burleson Police say a drug deal led to Friday's shooting that killed an innocent bystander. They say six men had met in a parking lot for a drug deal just before the shooting.
Police Chief Billy Cordell says none of the six are from Burleson; they had just met in a parking lot near 35W and Alsbury for the sale.
Cordell says two people buying the drugs used counterfeit money. He says four sellers had planned to rob the buyers after the sale.
"Both sides of this transaction had preconceived plans to rip off the other," he says.
Cordell says the sellers recognized the money was counterfeit and started chasing the other two down Alsbury to 35W. He says the two buying drugs left in one car. Two sellers followed in one car, and the other two each followed in separate cars.
Cordell says the buyers exited at Wilshire Boulevard, where the three cars driven by the other four "attempted to pin the Malibu in" when they hit traffic. He says the suspects exchanged gunfire.
Investigators say the buyers crossed the median, driving south in northbound lanes of Wilshire, and the sellers kept shooting.
At that point, Cordell says Kathryn Bryan, 64, was caught in the cross-fire and killed.
"Every one of us, everyone who hears this story understands an innocent bystander was a victim of murder because of illegal drug activity," he says.
Cordell says Gustavo Hernandez, 28, and Francisco Mejia, 24, had come from Mission, Texas, across the Rio Grande from Reynosa, Mexico to buy the drugs. After Bryan was killed, Cordell says the two jumped into the bed of an uninvolved pick-up truck and were dropped off near 35W and Alsbury.
Mejia had been shot in the leg, was treated and released from the hospital.
Hernandez and Mejia have been arrested and charged with forgery and engaging in criminal activity involving the manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance.
Cordell says police used witness statements and surveillance video to find the other four involved. He says David Allen Devaney Sr., 58, David Allen Devaney Jr, 35, David Matthew Dever, 36 and Clint Daniels Dunlap, 40 were arrested in different locations Saturday.
Those four will be charged with capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and engaging in criminal activity involving aggravated robbery.
"The detectives were able to identify the suspect vehicles through video surveillance, cameras and witness conversations," Cordell says. "One of the most important things we could do was work tirelessly to get these suspects off the street as quickly as we can. There was a lot of great police work, combined with a little bit of luck that made that happen."
Cordell says he met with Bryan's husband to learn more about her and their family.
"I will tell you she is a wife, she's a mother to two boys, and she's a grandmother," Cordell said, showing a picture of Bryan Tuesday morning. "She's a chemical engineer employed at Sachem in Cleburne. Friday was like many other days in her 43 year career. She went to work, was going home to Arlington to be with her husband, she stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few items on the way. Ten minutes later, she was caught up in a gunfight between drug dealers that cost her her life. She was an innocent bystander."
Cordell says the couple was getting ready to retire to spend more time with each other, their kids and grandkids.
"We had a good conversation to learn a little about who Ms. Bryan was. It just adds to the face of who she was as a grandmother. They loved to travel and were getting close to retirement so they could spend time together," he says. "It's absolutely disheartening this occured."
Cordell says there are no other suspects outstanding.
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