MARTINDALE, Texas — The Austin chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Austin) is calling for more information regarding the fatal shooting of a Moroccan man in Martindale.
In a Facebook post, the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) said deputies responded to reports of a shooting in the 100 block of Tina’s Trail in Martindale on Oct. 11 CCSO said the homeowner "confronted a suspicious vehicle" and shot someone inside the vehicle. CCSO said the homeowner cooperated with the investigation and he was not initially arrested.
In a statement about the incident, CCSO said deputies found one man with a gunshot wound who was transported to the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries. The victim, identified as Moroccan national Adil Dghoughi, 31, died at the hospital, according to CAIR.
On Friday, Oct. 22, the CCSO announced that 65-year-old Terry Duane Turner had been arrested in connection with Dghoughi's death. Turner's bond was set at $150,000 and he bonded out of jail less than two hours later, according to online records.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KVUE, Turner told police he noticed an "unknown vehicle with its headlights off" parked inside the drive way next to his pickup truck after he had gotten up to use the bathroom. Turner said he ran back to his bedroom to get his handgun and ran back outside to see the vehicle with its headlights on, according to the affidavit. The affidavit stated that the vehicle "began to rapidly accelerate in reverse" and Turner chased after it. The affidavit stated that Turner struck the driver's side front door twice with the handgun, fired the handgun, then returned to his house to call 911.
During the 911 call with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, Turner said "I just killed a guy," "tried to pull a gun on me, I shot," and "he started racing away and I ran after him ... he pointed a gun at me and I shot." No firearms were located inside of the vehicle or in possession of Dghoughi, according to the affidavit.
Loved ones of Dghoughi told KVUE on Wednesday that the information they received from officials doesn't add up and they want an independent investigation into the death. They said authorities are not answering their questions about the shooting and why the man who shot Dghoughi wasn't initially taken into custody or facing charges.
"All we know is he was unarmed. He was inside the car. The car was locked," said Othmane Dghoughi, Adil's brother.
Othmane Dghoughi explained that the shot went through the car window, through Adil Dghoughi's hand and into his head, which Othmane Dghoughi believes indicates Adil Dghoughi was trying to protect himself.
As for why Adil Dghoughi was outside this house, his family believes he got lost and pulled over for directions. The family told CAIR Executive Director Faizon Syed they had been at a barbecue in the suburbs of San Antonio the evening of Oct. 10. Early that next morning, Adil Dghoughi left the barbecue to retrieve his car from his girlfriend's house. He ended up approximately seven minutes away from her house when he was shot in his car, Syed said.
Syed believes the public deserves to have the same information that the sheriff's office knows about this case. He reached out to multiple law enforcement entities, including the Texas Rangers and the Department of Justice, urging them to conduct an independent investigation.
"We believe that this lack of arrest or lack of charges is something that's quite concerning to us and to the family, and I hope that your listeners will also be concerned," Syed said.
A week after the shooting, Syed explained the family finally received a copy of the incident report on Monday. However, the summary of what happened was redacted.
Adil Dghoughi's family said he was a bright and caring person, who would never think of getting into trouble. He moved to the U.S. from Morocco in 2013 to pursue higher education.
Adil Dghoughi's girlfriend, Sarah Todd, said he treated everyone with kindness and respect.
"I can't even put into words how much of a huge heart he had for everyone," Todd explained.
Adil Dghoughi's loved ones say he was an organ donor and his body will be flown back to Morocco.
A GoFundMe was started for Dghoughi's funeral expenses and transporting his body from the U.S. to Morocco. A vigil will be held for Adil Dghoughi at the State Capitol building on Saturday at 6 p.m.
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