LUBBOCK, Texas– Jennifer Read, widow of 54-year-old Chad Read who was shot and killed more than a month ago during a child custody argument, held a press conference with her attorney Tony Buzbee in front of the Lubbock County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
Civil court records identified the shooter as William Kyle Carruth.
During the press conference, Jennifer Read gave a tearful statement.
“I saw Kyle Carruth shoot and kill my husband. Kyle Carruth has not been arrested. Please, please – I ask the police to take action. I ask the Attorney General’s office to take action. I want justice for my husband Chad Read.”
“People all over the state of Texas and all over the United States are having the same reaction. Why wasn’t that man arrested? Very few people were even questioned. The man [who] pulled the trigger and killed Chad Read is still walking around in this community,” Buzbee Law Firm told KLBK News.
Buzbee said an otherwise non-violent argument ended with Kyle Carruth fatally shooting Chad Read, calling Carruth’s actions unreasonable and irresponsible.
Buzbee Law Firm filed a lawsuit on Jennifer’s behalf “because there’s been no action from the authorities related to what happened on November 5th.”
However, Buzbee said he believes the $50 million lawsuit he filed last week has prompted the Texas Attorney General’s Office to take action.
Last week, KLBK News saw an investigator with the Texas Attorney General’s Office leaving the Lubbock County Courthouse with Jennifer Read.
When asked about it at the press conference, Buzbee said, “We’ve been talking to them. They interviewed Jennifer briefly. They came here to – I’m assuming they’re interfacing with the police, whoever has the evidence – and they wanted to talk to Jennifer.”
One point emphasized in the press conference was also cited in the lawsuit as a cause of action, which described Carruth’s actions as “negligent.”
“After the shooting, the shooter did not render aid. Instead he stood there and said, ‘I told you to get off my property. I told you so. I told y’all to leave,’” Buzbee recounted. “That doesn’t sound like somebody that was in fear of their lives. It doesn’t sound like somebody who was acting in self defense.”
Buzbee Law Firm called Carruth’s actions an assault and cited “civil assault” as another cause of action in the lawsuit.
“Shooting a weapon in the direction of an individual is an assault. You cannot assault someone and then turn around and claim self defense,” Buzbee argued. “There’s something called ‘provoking the difficulty.’ You cannot provoke violence and then claim self defense. You cannot assault someone and then when they react and then claim self defense.
Read’s attorney said he believes Christina Read, the mother of Chad Read’s children, intentionally withheld information about the whereabouts of Chad’s son.
“Too many times we see fathers and mothers who share custody, who use innocent kids as pawns in an unnecessary struggle,” Read’s attorney said.
Buzbee stated, per the child custody agreement, Chad was entitled to have his child at that time.
Buzbee Law Firm used the press conference to clarify a few misconceptions:
- Christina worked at 2104 90th St. in Lubbock.
- That property is owned by Kyle Carruth’s father.
- According to the secretary of state, at least three businesses operate from that address, all of which have been sued for the shooting death of Chad Read.
The law firm also shared new information about the Read investigation.
- After several attempts to find it, the firm has located the weapon that Kyle Carruth used to shoot and kill Chad Read.
“We just found out this morning that the weapon that killed that man is in an evidence locker,” Buzbee shared.
- Buzbee Law Firm said the 9th Administrative Judicial District is expected to assign a judge to this case next week.
Buzbee expressed confidence in the process, saying, “I’ve had conversations with the Attorney General himself and he assures me that this is going to be thoroughly investigated and if charges are warranted that they will be brought. I’m going to hold him to that.”
As the investigation is ongoing, Buzbee is asking for anyone with information about the case, no matter how small, to come contact the law firm or the Attorney General’s Office. The firm is specifically looking for text messages, “because we know they exist,” it said.
“We believe that there was animosity on the part of Kyle Carruth against Chad Read that existed long before November 5. We believe that there were things said by the perpetrator about Chad Read. If you have information or evidence that pertain to interactions with Kyle Carruth, anything he said about Chad Read or the situation of Chad Read’s marriage, we want that,” Buzbee pleaded.
If you have any information regarding this case, you should contact attorney Tony Buzbee at 800-992-5393 or the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
EverythingLubbock.com invited Carruth’s attorney to make a comment. For now, the invitation was declined.
