LUBBOCK, Texas — An arrest warrant released on Monday described what led up to the shooting and killing of Derrean Nichols, 17, Friday morning in the 100 block of Avenue M.
Nichols, Brianna Garza, and a third person that EverythingLubbock.com has not publicly named agreed to meet someone for the sale of marijuana. We have described the third person as an eyewitness.
The warrant said the eyewitness agreed to meet with someone he only knew as “Dada Stacy.”
The warrant said, “[The eyewitness] advised ‘Dada Stacy’ approached their vehicle and pulled a gun [on the eyewitness]. ‘Dada Stacy’ then started shooting at the vehicle striking Brianna Garza and Derrean Nichols. ‘Dada Stacy’ fled the area on foot,” the warrant said.
A police report said Garza then drove to her brother’s house in the 1700 block of East 1st Place for help. According to the police report, Garza banged on the door and was speaking frantically and uncontrollably, saying that she and Nichols had been shot.
Garza told her brother she thought Nichols was already dead, according to the police report.
The police report said Garza suffered a gunshot wound to the arm while Nichols was unresponsive in the passenger seat. EMS took Nichols to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Police were able to find Dada Stacy on Facebook, according to the warrant. His birthday was the same as David LeCarl Ruth and the pictures matched the physical description given by Garza and the eyewitness. Ruth was arrested Friday and has remained in the Lubbock County Detention Center since that time for murder.
A portion of the arrest warrant said:
[An eyewitness] was located on scene and interviewed. [The eyewitness] stated was contacted over Facebook by ”Dada Stacy” to sell marijuana. [The eyewitness] agreed to the sale and went to the 100 block of Avenue M with Derrean Nichols and Brianna Garza in the vehicle that was located outside of 1719 East 1st Place.
[The eyewitness] advised “Dada Stacy” approached their vehicle and pulled a gun [on the eyewitness]. “Dada Stacy” then started shooting at the vehicle striking Brianna Garza and Derrean Nichols. “Dada Stacy” fled the area on foot and [the eyewitness], Derrean Nichols, and Brianna Garza fled to 1719 East 1st Place. [The eyewitness] confirmed that the same individual that shot at them was the same person as “Dada Stacy” on Facebook.
Special note: the arrest warrant spells the victim’s name as Derrean while a police press release on Friday spelled it as Darrean.
