Bridgeport Police Department officers arrested Nathaniel Jovanni Dominguez, 23 of Springtown, following a reported shooting at the Bridgeport Medical Lodge Feb. 18. Last week, Dominguez was charged with murder. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
Surveillance video of a deadly shooting obtained by investigators apparently led to the murder arrest of a Springtown man last week.
New details about the Feb. 18 encounter outside Bridgeport Medical Lodge which resulted in the death of 39-year-old Bridgeport resident James Brown III were revealed in the arrest affidavit of 23-year-old Nathaniel Jovanni Dominguez obtained through a public information request by the Wise County Messenger this week.
The Bridgeport Police Department on March 12 received a surveillance video that had been seized the day after the shooting from a nearby business, and it had been extracted by the North Texas Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory in Dallas.
According to the affidavit, the video shows Brown was at his truck door standing on the running board with the driver’s-side door open and Dominguez was approximately 40 to 50 feet away at the rear of the silver-colored vehicle while the two were “exchanging words.”
“(Officers) never saw Brown reach for anything inside the truck when Dominguez began shooting,” the affidavit states. “Dominguez fired eight rounds while advancing toward Brown.”
Brown fell into the driver’s side seat while Dominguez approached him and “had a discussion with him” before walking off, the affidavit states, and Brown fell out of the truck to the ground.
Nathanial Jovanni Dominguez
The encounter seen on the video appeared to be different from the explanation Dominguez had given officers that Brown had possibly been reaching for a weapon inside the truck when the shooting took place following a physical confrontation between the two.
Dominguez told officers the incident began when Brown “had jumped him because Brown suspected Dominguez of sleeping with his wife,” according to the affidavit.
“Dominguez said that Brown had jumped him and beat him for what seemed like three minutes straight,” the affidavit states. “Dominguez said that once Brown stopped the assault and walked away, he (Dominguez) got up and retrieved his firearm (Kimber 9mm) from his car.”
He then pointed the gun at Brown and told him to give his keys back, which Brown did, the affidavit states.
After placing his gun down, the two “exchanged words,” according to the affidavit, and Dominguez said Brown told him he would “go home and get his gun.”
The investigator confirmed with Dominguez that after he received his keys back from Brown, Dominguez had time to leave the situation, the affidavit states.
Instead, Dominguez said he saw Brown was at his truck and “appeared to reach inside for something.”
“Dominguez said that is when he started shooting in the direction of Brown,” the affidavit states. “Brown was struck in the upper chest area and was transported to Medical City Decatur where he was pronounced deceased.”
An autopsy performed the following day concluded Brown sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, which caused damage to the lung and spinal cord, according to the affidavit. The medical examiner listed the cause of death a homicide.
The affidavit also provides details about the initial officer’s encounter with Dominguez. The Bridgeport officer responded after hearing dispatchers say witnesses reported “multiple gunshots,” that a man had been shot and the shooter had possibly walked into Bridgeport Medical Lodge.
The officer arrived to find a man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound, and a witness said the shooter had walked to the back of the nursing facility.
Dominguez was located sitting on the sidewalk outside the facility, and he “immediately raised this hands above his head and stated that he no longer had possession of the gun, and that he had placed it around the corner on a table,” according to the affidavit.
Dominguez was initially arrested for possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance penalty group 2 and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Jail records show he posted $35,000 bond Feb. 27 and was released. He was arrested on the murder charge March 12 in Azle and released on $30,000 bond the following day.
According to Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford, both Dominguez and Brown were employed at Bridgeport Medical Lodge.
The investigation into the shooting has involved a number of agencies including Bridgeport Police Department, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, FBI Forensics Lab, Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science and the Wise County District Attorney’s Office.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.