WOOD COUNTY, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – A Sulphur Springs man was arrested Tuesday morning following a shooting near Quitman.
Diquincie Zikeith Morris is charged with shooting a man during a child-exchange gathering held under a custody agreement, according to the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday at 5:26 p.m., the Wood County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call reporting a shooting at the Dollar General store on State Highway 154 west of Quitman. The store sits near U.S. Highway 288, in front of the Holiday Villages Resort complex. Responding deputies were told the suspect’s vehicle was a dark-colored Ford F-150 pickup.
Deputies arrived and determined that two people argued during the custody exchange. Surveillance footage showed the children loading their belongings into the F-150 pickup.
As the children were loading their items, one man stepped out of the other vehicle and approached the driver of the F-150. The driver of the F-150 was identified as the biological father of the children.
Apparently, words were exchanged and the occupant of the other vehicle, identified as the victim, moved to the passenger side of the F-150. The children’s father, identified as the suspect, fired a pistol, injuring the victim. During the shooting, one of the young children was leaning against the car and could be seen running with hands over his ears. The other children were near the open door of the pickup as well.
Investigators from the sheriff’s office responded to the scene and to Quitman Hospital, where they interviewed the shooting victim and the children’s mother. The victim was airlifted to Tyler for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
On the morning of October 28, Wood County Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained an arrest warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony. The warrant was signed by Judge Brad McCambell of the 402nd Judicial District.
Subsequently, investigators joined with Hopkins County investigators, the Sulphur Springs Police Department, and Texas Ranger Williams to execute the warrant. Morris was taken into custody without incident at 308 Whitworth Street in Sulphur Springs.
Morris was transported to the Hopkins County Jail with a $250,000 bond. Later Tuesday night, he was moved to the Wood County Jail.
