District attorney dismisses murder charge against man who shot Jin Shin in Fort Worth

The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has dismissed a murder charge against the man who fatally shot Jin Shin following a car accident in Fort Worth last year.

Markynn West was indicted on the murder charge in December. The district attorney’s office dismissed the charge on Friday.

“A review of evidence in the case shows that after a minor traffic accident and disagreement, Shin retrieved a handgun and pointed at those present,” the district attorney’s office wrote in a statement to the Star-Telegram. “West, in defense of himself and others, fired his weapon at Shin, resulting in Shin’s death.”

West, 29, was arrested before new District Attorney Phil Sorrells took office in January.

A grand jury declined to indict three other men on murder charges in the case. Two of the suspects, Keeton Sheppard and Quamon White, were indicted on charges of assault causing bodily injury in connection with the incident.

The grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to charge the fourth suspect arrested by police, Kameron Taylor.

In arrest warrant affidavits, police alleged that the four men were among a group who surrounded Shin, assaulted him, blocked him from his vehicle and took his car keys after a traffic accident in which Shin’s vehicle rolled forward into the rear of another at a stoplight on University Drive in Fort Worth in August.

Surveillance video from the scene showed that Shin retrieved a handgun from his Jeep before West got his gun from another vehicle and fired at Shin, according to the warrants. Police did not mention in the affidavits that Shin pointed his gun at anyone.

Shin, 43, of Dallas, was pronounced dead at the scene.

West was arrested in September, followed by Taylor in December, White in January and Sheppard in February.

Shin, who owned Family Karaoke in Dallas, was known as an advocate for the Asian-American community and a man who had an uncanny ability to bring people together to celebrate and educate each other, according to friends and family.