POLICE: Man pulls gun out in front of students at Memorial High parking lot

Published 12:31 am Saturday, July 10, 2021

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A Port Arthur man jailed on an unrelated charge is now facing murder charges in connection with the shooting death of a Vidor man.

Darius Rashard Stevenson, 36, was arrested on Wednesday on felony warrant for possession of a weapon in a prohibited place. He was taken into custody by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in the parking lot of Walmart at 4999 Twin City Highway in Port Arthur.

On Thursday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement of the murder warrant being issued for Stevenson for the fatal shooting of Brennon Harlan Lee Flores.

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Deputies with the OCSO responded at midnight July 6 to the 1200 block of Shamrock Street in Vidor in reference to a shooting.

When they arrived they found a male deceased from a single gunshot wound, according to information from the OCSO.

The Jefferson County warrant

The felony warrant out of Jefferson County in which Stevenson was arrested earlier this week stems from a weapons charge filed by Port Arthur Independent School District Police.

Stevenson allegedly appeared on the Memorial High School campus June 8 and displayed a weapon in what law enforcement considers a road rage-like incident.

According to information from PAISD PD, a man was reportedly seen in the parking lot behind the field house at the rear of the school and confronted some of the students, accusing them of trying to race him on the roadway coming to the school.

The students reportedly didn’t remember seeing the man; then words were exchanged.

The man allegedly went to his vehicle and pulled out an assault style rifle and pointed it at the ground. He did not point the weapon at the students but displayed it to where they could see the weapon, authorities said.

An adult dropping a student off for after-school practice saw the man and reportedly told him to stop arguing with the students. By this time the weapon was out of view, according to information from the PAISD PD.

The man got into his vehicle and left.

The altercation was reported to the district police and a case was filed on the man, identified as Stevenson, for possession of a weapon in a prohibited place.

This wasn’t Stevenson’s first brush with the law.

Stevenson was charged with the June 13, 2009, shooting death of Ronald Bridges, 52.

Just four days prior to the killing, Stevenson was charged with aggravated assault on an unrelated case.

On Sept. 27, 2010, he pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Wednesday’s arrest was part of a joint effort of the JSCO, along with PAISD police, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Port Arthur Police, Beaumont Police and the U.S. Marshals.

His initial bond was set at $500,000.