FORT WORTH, TX — A 19-year-old Fort Worth man was arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his stepfather during a domestic dispute at a northwest Fort Worth home on the night of Sept. 15, 2026, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Eric Titus III faces one count of murder in the death of Kendrick Malone, 40, who was found shot at a residence on Sloop Street near Boat Club Road and later died at a nearby hospital. The case highlights the deadly consequences that can follow when domestic arguments escalate inside the home. Titus initially left the scene after the shooting but turned himself in to police with the assistance of his attorney, a move that spared investigators a prolonged search. Fort Worth police said the incident appears to be isolated and that there was no ongoing threat to the surrounding public.
Officers responded to the 6300 block of Sloop Street just before 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 15, CBS Texas reported, after receiving a call about a shooting at a private residence. When they arrived, they found Malone wounded inside the home. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment but did not survive his injuries. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office was assigned to formally identify Malone and determine the official cause and manner of death, according to Fort Worth police. At the time of initial reporting by CBS Texas, the suspect had not yet been located, and police described the incident as domestic in nature, involving a disturbance between two adults at the residence. A witness inside the home relayed information about the suspect to officers at the scene.
According to an arrest affidavit cited by KRLD News Radio, Malone was engaged in a physical argument with his wife when her son, Eric Titus III, allegedly fired a shot from the doorway of a bedroom. A second witness at the home also told investigators they saw Titus shoot Malone, corroborating the account described in the affidavit. Fort Worth police said Titus then left the home before officers arrived. His attorney later arranged for him to surrender to authorities, according to KRLD. Titus was subsequently taken into custody and booked on a murder charge. As of the most recent reports, no bail amount or arraignment date had been publicly disclosed, and it was unclear whether Titus had entered a formal plea.
The Sloop Street shooting occurred against a broader backdrop of domestic violence concerns in Tarrant County. According to data from the Fort Worth Police Department covering January through August 2026, the city recorded a 15.5 percent drop in aggravated assaults and a 36 percent decrease in homicides compared to the same period in 2025, figures that Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia attributed to data-driven policing strategies and community violence intervention partnerships. Despite those citywide trends, domestic violence has remained one of the largest categories of criminal filings in the county. The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office reported that domestic violence cases accounted for the second-highest volume of cases it filed in 2024, prompting the office to deploy specialized felony intimate partner violence prosecution teams. County officials also note that roughly one in three women in Tarrant County experience intimate partner violence during their lifetime, a rate that exceeds the national average of one in four.
Under Texas law, murder is a first-degree felony carrying a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison, along with potential fines. Prosecutors will be required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Titus intentionally or knowingly caused Malone’s death. The arrest affidavit, which outlines the eyewitness accounts from at least two individuals present at the home, will likely form a central part of the state’s case. Defense attorneys have not publicly commented on the charges or indicated what legal strategy Titus may pursue. Because Titus is 19 years old, he will be prosecuted as an adult in Tarrant County criminal court. No court dates have been publicly scheduled as of the time of reporting, and the investigation remained active, with Fort Worth police continuing to gather evidence related to the shooting.
The Sloop Street home sits in the northwest section of Fort Worth, a largely residential part of the city served by local transit and bordered by Marine Creek. Neighbors and community members had not made public statements about the incident as of the most recent reports. Fort Worth police reiterated that the shooting was confined to the residence and that no other suspects were being sought in connection with Malone’s death. Tarrant County coordinates its response to domestic violence through the Tarrant County Council on Family Violence, which operates out of One Safe Place at 1100 Hemphill Street in Fort Worth. Residents affected by domestic violence can reach SafeHaven of Tarrant County’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 877-701-7233. The death of Kendrick Malone, 40, marks one of the county’s homicide cases for September 2026, and comes even as the city has reported year-over-year improvements in its overall violent crime numbers.
Titus remains in custody on the murder charge. The case is expected to move toward a formal arraignment in Tarrant County criminal court, where prosecutors will present the arrest affidavit and any additional evidence gathered by Fort Worth homicide detectives in the weeks following Malone’s death.
