The murder suspect told investigators he feared relatives were in danger, while family members said they perceived no immediate threat.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Family members and a 24-year-old murder suspect gave investigators differing accounts of the danger they perceived before the suspect allegedly shot his father at a Fort Worth residence early Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit.
Johnathan Hernandez is charged with murder in the death of his father, 41-year-old Nicacio Hernandez III. Police responded about 3:36 a.m. Sept. 26 to a home in the 8300 block of North Riverside Drive and found the older Hernandez fatally wounded. Johnathan Hernandez was detained at the scene. The affidavit provides a more detailed account of the hours before the shooting, including Hernandez’s statements to investigators and statements from relatives who were at the residence.
The events described in the affidavit began the previous evening. Johnathan Hernandez met his father and mother at a BoomerJack’s restaurant in Lake Worth before the group later went to Tumbleweeds Sports Bar in Fort Worth. At the sports bar, Hernandez became involved in a verbal disagreement with one of his father’s friends. According to the affidavit, Hernandez became upset because his father sided with the friend rather than with him.
The dispute did not end when the group left the bar, investigators said. Hernandez told police that he and his father argued after returning home about what had happened earlier. Hernandez said he punched his father five times because he believed the older man was about to hit him. He told investigators his father then pulled a knife from his belt, prompting him to run away. Hernandez said he heard a gunshot while fleeing and believed his father had fired toward him.
The affidavit says Hernandez later obtained a ride to his apartment and retrieved a rifle-style firearm from his vehicle. He then returned to his father’s residence. Hernandez told investigators that he located his father in the garage and heard him make a threat against people at the home. Hernandez said he believed his father was going to harm relatives who were there, according to the affidavit.
Family members interviewed by police described the situation differently. According to the affidavit, they told investigators they did not believe Nicacio Hernandez posed an immediate threat to them. Their statements are significant because Hernandez told investigators that concern for his family was part of the circumstances immediately preceding the shooting. The affidavit records those competing accounts but does not resolve them as established facts.
Police also investigated Hernandez’s actions between leaving the residence and returning with the firearm. Fort Worth police Public Information Officer Tracy Carter told FOX 4 that Hernandez spoke with his girlfriend during that period. Carter said Hernandez told his girlfriend he was going to do something to his father. The girlfriend then made a call to the residence, according to Carter’s account of the investigation.
Officers responding to the shooting found Hernandez still at the property. He surrendered with his hands raised and was detained, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Police initially described the shooting as an isolated incident involving two people who knew each other. The subsequent affidavit publicly identified their father-son relationship and outlined the earlier disputes that investigators allege culminated in the shooting.
Hernandez was being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a $500,000 bond after being charged with murder. An arrest affidavit reflects evidence and allegations gathered during an investigation and is not a determination of guilt. The statements attributed to Hernandez and his relatives may be examined further as the criminal case proceeds.
Authorities have not publicly announced additional charges or released information establishing a final judicial finding about the competing accounts described in the affidavit. Hernandez remains accused of murder, and the case remains subject to the criminal court process.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.