Police said the wounded man had been accused of soliciting minors for sex before officers arrived.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A 33-year-old Fort Worth man was arrested after police said he shot another man in the groin late Friday at a south Fort Worth apartment complex, where officers had been sent on reports that a possibly intoxicated man was soliciting minors for sex.
Authorities say the case now centers on two overlapping allegations: a report that one man approached children for sexual favors, and a separate shooting that left that same man hospitalized. Police have identified the arrested man as Marckus Renfro and said he was booked on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. The wounded man was expected to survive, and investigators have not publicly named him.
According to Fort Worth police, officers were dispatched at 11:43 p.m. Friday to the 3700 block of Century Place after callers reported a man who appeared to be under the influence and was allegedly soliciting minors for sexual favors. As officers arrived, they heard a single gunshot and radioed it in. Police said they then saw a man matching the earlier suspect description near a convenience store and walking toward nearby apartments. Officers soon learned he had been shot in the groin. Police said Renfro, who officers linked to a group of three people at the scene, was taken into custody. The injured man was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Family members told local television stations they believe Renfro acted to protect underage relatives. Dontavius Williams, identified by FOX 4 as Renfro’s brother-in-law, said a younger family member told relatives that the man had offered drugs and urged the children to come with him. Williams said relatives had already heard complaints that the same man had been bothering children in the area. Renfro’s wife, Jamie Ramirez Renfro, said the two men exchanged words and that her husband fired after the other man turned back toward him. Police have not confirmed that account, and investigators have not said whether any self-defense claim has been raised in court.
The case has drawn attention because it began with one allegation and quickly became another criminal investigation. Police have said only that officers were already looking into complaints that the wounded man had approached minors before the shot was fired. They have not announced charges against the wounded man, and they have not released his name. Officers also have not publicly identified the other two people they said were with Renfro. That leaves key questions unresolved, including what witnesses told police, whether any physical evidence supports the family’s version of events, and whether prosecutors will consider the circumstances surrounding the initial call when deciding how to proceed.
Jail and court records added another layer by Monday. CBS Texas reported that Tarrant County jail records listed Renfro on the aggravated assault charge and also showed several other pending cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family. FOX 4, in its earlier report Saturday, said Renfro was being held with no bond set at the time of publication. That difference suggests the jail record changed after the first reports, though authorities had not publicly explained the timing in the accounts reviewed Monday.
For neighbors and relatives, the scene appears to have unfolded in a matter of moments. Police described officers arriving while trying to find the man first reported by callers, only to hear gunfire before they could make contact. Family members have framed the shooting as a response to what they saw as an immediate threat to children in the complex. Jamie Ramirez Renfro said she did not believe her husband should have been arrested, arguing that children were in danger. But police have stuck to a narrower public account: a man was shot, another man was arrested, and the investigation remains open.
The case stood Monday as both a violent-crime investigation and a review of the events that led up to it. Police have not announced whether more charges are coming for anyone involved, and no public court hearing details were immediately released in the reports reviewed. The next milestone is likely an updated filing or court appearance as investigators sort out witness statements, evidence from the scene and the earlier complaints involving minors.
Author note: Last updated April 6, 2026.