Residents say disputes involving fences and surveillance cameras had unsettled families before Rudy Jaramillo was fatally shot Aug. 9.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Residents of a northwest Fort Worth neighborhood say they had grown increasingly concerned about a neighbor’s behavior for months before another resident was fatally shot Aug. 9 and a 24-year-old man was accused in the killing.
The death of 44-year-old Rudy Jaramillo has brought new attention to complaints described by people living near Talons Crest Circle. Neighbor Aryn Harde said problems involving Jose Escamilla began for her family in October and later expanded into disputes over fences, privacy and surveillance cameras. Escamilla is now accused in Jaramillo’s death.
Harde said one early incident involved her son, who was outside before running back into the house crying and telling her that a man had been on a fence yelling at him. Harde said she came to view the conduct as harassment. Other neighbors also documented what they believed was Escamilla standing over fences and looking into surrounding yards.
Residents said they later noticed cameras positioned around Escamilla’s property. They believed some cameras, including devices placed in pots or windows, were pointed toward other homes. The accounts contributed to a growing feeling among some residents that their privacy was being invaded, though the residents’ claims about the cameras have not been established as findings in the criminal case.
Harde said another incident occurred in June, when she believed her home security cameras recorded Escamilla entering her backyard and firing a nail gun toward one of her cameras. The available report does not say whether authorities filed a separate charge over that allegation or what action, if any, followed before the August killing.
The neighborhood’s concerns took on new significance after Jaramillo was shot Aug. 9. Harde said she learned of the killing after another neighbor came to her door and she heard sirens nearby. She said the death made her consider whether her own family or other residents might also have faced danger.
Police arrest documents described surveillance footage from Jaramillo’s family that investigators say recorded the fatal shooting. According to police, the video showed someone dressed in dark clothing riding a bicycle to a vehicle before firing several shots. Investigators said they linked Escamilla to the footage through similarities involving his clothing and bicycle.
Police also said Escamilla told investigators that he had been involved in an ongoing dispute with neighbors. One disagreement involved his belief that neighbors were moving his cameras, according to the arrest documents. Authorities have not publicly established a motive for Jaramillo’s death, and Escamilla is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
For Harde, the arrest has not erased the fear that followed the shooting. She said she was considering moving because she no longer felt secure living near the home of the man accused in Jaramillo’s death. Her comments reflect a broader concern described by neighbors who said the tensions had been building well before the shooting.
Escamilla was being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a $250,000 bond in the latest available report. CBS News Texas said his attorney had not responded to a request for comment, while Jaramillo’s family declined to speak publicly. Authorities had not announced additional developments in the case.
Author note: Last updated August 13, 2026.