Nearly three weeks after the death of Chad Read, his widow and her attorney released video Wednesday of the deadly shooting altercation between Read and Lubbock land developer and businessman, Kyle Carruth.
Carruth is the now ex-husband of Judge of the 72nd Judicial District Court in Lubbock and Crosby Counties, Anne-Marie Carruth. Because of that, the Lubbock District Attorney’s Office recused itself from the case that will now be handled by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The couple was separated for months before Kyle Carruth filed for divorce in September. The divorce was finalized last week, according to court records.
There have been no arrests or charges filed in the Nov. 5 case. In an interview with Texas Tech Public Media Wednesday afternoon, Kyle Carruth’s attorney David Guinn stated he had not seen the now-public video and said his client was acting in self defense.
The cell phone video, taken by Jennifer Read, supports a court affidavit she filed in an effort to retain custody of Chad Read’s children. In the affidavit, Jennifer Read shared her eyewitness account of the shooting.
According to the affidavit, Chad Read attempted to pick up one of his children with Christina Read for court-ordered time with his child that afternoon. He was about 45 minutes late and the child allegedly was not there. Christina Read and Kyle Carruth have, according to court documents, been in a relationship for several months.
The video, published with light editing by EverythingLubbock.com, shows when a disgruntled Read arrived at a residence in the 2100 block of 90th Street. Christina Read and Carruth argued with Chad Read in front of the house and Carruth asked Chad Read to “get off of his property.” According to property records, the address is associated with Carruth’s parents.
Carruth went inside and returned with a firearm. Chad Read did not appear to have a weapon. Carruth and Chad Read continued to argue and bump chests. Carruth again told Chad Read to leave and then fired a shot toward the ground. Seconds later, Chad Read seemingly tries to point the barrel of Carruth’s gun away from him or take the firearm away before Carruth shuffles away and shoots Chad Read in the chest. He fell to the ground.
Widow Jennifer Read states in the affidavit that from where she was, recording the altercation from a vehicle in front of the house, she did not immediately know that Chad Read was dead. She did not at the time think Carruth was brandishing a real gun. Jennifer Read’s own son was also in the vehicle.
Carruth’s attorney David Guinn told Texas Tech Public Media that his client did what he had to to protect his property, family and business. He said Carruth was acting in self defense after being threatened by Chad Read.
“This is a split-second decision,” Guinn said. “Only one person got to live through it.”
He added: “I really regret it had to happen. I wish he’d have gone and picked up this child at the appropriate time and place instead of coming to a place where the child wasn’t.”
This case has been the subject of intense public interest. The Lubbock Police Department has not officially stated Carruth is a suspect in the shooting. When asked by Texas Tech Public Media on Nov. 22 why there has yet to be an arrest in this case, a spokesperson for the department referred to statements from earlier in the month that say suspect information will only be released if there is a direct threat to the public or if an arrest is made.
A civil court document filed by Carruth’s now ex-wife, Anne-Marie Carruth officially revealed “William Kyle Carruth, is under investigation for the shooting and killing of his girlfriend's children's father after he attempted to pick up his children late Friday afternoon.” The documents also stated Anne-Marie Carruth was worried about her ex-husband’s mental state.
After the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported the update, the records were sealed and made unavailable to the public.
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Have a news tip? Email Sarah Self-Walbrick at saselfwa@ttu.edu. Follow her reporting on Twitter @SarahFromTTUPM.
