FORT WORTH, Texas – One of the two men charged in the death of Fort Worth officer Garrett Hull was found guilty of capital murder Monday morning.
Despite the fact that he did not pull the trigger, it took a Texas jury less than an hour to unanimously find Timothy Kion Huff guilty on the charge of capital murder for the slaying of the police officer.
In 2018 Huff was part of a group of three people investigators suspected were responsible for a string of robberies in the area. Police said Huff, along with Dacion Steptoe, and Samuel Mayfield targeted and robbed 17 Hispanic-owned businesses.
Officer Hull was a member of the task force charged with tracking and apprehending the robbery suspects.
According to a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on Sept. 14, 2018, the three men robbed patrons inside the Los Vaqueros Sports Bar. When Hull and his team realized the bar was being robbed, they called for backup and waited outside the establishment to arrest the suspects when they exited.
When the men exited the bar and fled on foot, Hull and his team gave chase and that’s when the gun battle began. Hull and Steptoe reportedly shot at each other in the driveway of a home nearby. Hull was shot in the head. Instead of waiting for an ambulance, officers at the scene rushed Hull to the hospital in a police car, but he was pronounced dead. Steptoe was subsequently killed in the shootout with police. Huff and Mayfield were caught and taken into custody.
Attorneys representing Huff argued that their client was not responsible for the actions of Steptoe that led to the death of Hull. They emphasized that Huff told police he had stressed to his accomplices not to shoot anyone. Saying, “Whatever you do, don’t shoot anybody.”
Prosecutors argued Huff was part of a dangerous armed robbery gang that had been terrorizing patrons at Latino bars in 2018.
According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, it’s now up to jurors to decide next whether Huff should be put to death by the state.
“The jury will now decide if Huff gets life in prison or the death penalty,” the DA’s Office said when announcing the verdict. Those deliberations will reportedly resume on Tuesday.
Mayfield also faces a capital murder charge. His trial has not yet begun.