Victim's son arrested for JROTC instructor's murder in Fort Worth shooting
A murder victim's son is under arrest for shooting and killing his father, Fort Worth police say.
Xavier Bass, 26, is in jail in Valdosta, Georgia, where he lives, more than 800 miles away from the crime scene. Police say Xavier Bass shot his father, 54-year-old Gene Bass, in the front yard of his home on Chesapeake Bay Drive on Friday afternoon.
Surveillance cameras from the victim's home caught the entire incident, and a landscaping crew also witnessed what happened, police said.
According to the affidavit, Xavier Bass pulled up in front of Gene Bass's home and approached his father with a pistol. Gene Bass tried to run away, but Xavier Bass ran after him, firing multiple shots. The suspect then got into a black Ford Mustang and drove off.
Police said their investigation found Xavier Bass drove the same type of car. They also made contact with his girlfriend in Georgia, who identified him from the surveillance footage.
According to the affidavit, Xavier Bass told his girlfriend a few weeks before the shooting that he needed to drive to Texas and she would hear why on the news. The girlfriend was able to stop him from going then, but he later called Gene Bass and told him he was coming to visit, but didn't say why.
The girlfriend also told police that Xavier Bass felt "that when he was growing up, he felt his dad could have made things better and not left him with his mom to struggle," according to the affidavit.
Gene Bass was a retired master sergeant in the U.S. Army and an instructor for Cowley ISD's JROTC program.
Crowley ISD said Bass worked with cadets from every Crowley ISD middle school and high school campus, describing him as a "beloved" and "treasured" member of their family.
"This is an incredibly sad time for all of us, especially those who knew MSGT Bass as an instructor and friend," a statement from the school district said. "He was an outstanding educator and colleague, and he touched the lives of countless students and staff."
