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Man shoots ex-wife, self
By DANNY GALLAGHER McKinney Courier-Gazette
Medical Center of McKinney became the scene of a second shooting and murder Thursday afternoon after a Fort Worth man shot and killed his ex-wife and then turned the gun on himself, McKinney Police officials said.
McKinney Police Capt. Randy Roland said Josely Medellin Benavidez, 51, of Fort Worth shot and killed his ex-wife, Crystal Benavidez, 35, of McKinney and then himself on Medical Central Drive Thursday afternoon just east of Medical Center of McKinney.
Roland said the two made arraignments to meet in McKinney, possibly to provide money to pay for a veterinarian's bill. Crystal, who was driving a Camaro, and Josely, who was driving a Explorer, spotted each other on S.H. 5 and both pulled off the highway to meet in the hospital parking lot. Josely got out of his vehicle and walked to the driver's side of Crystal's vehicle. After the two began a conversation, Josely started shooting into Crystal's vehicle and the occupants fled the scene on foot. Roland said two handguns were involved in the shooting.
“They stopped, and had a brief conversation,� Roland said at a press conference Thursday. “He pulled out a gun and started firing.�
Crystal and her two passengers, Crystal's roommate Rebekka Bundrick and her boyfriend Brandon Lumpkin, exited the Camaro on the passenger side. Crystal ran towards the hospital. Josely shot several times. She was struck in a yard in the hospital parking lot. Josely then turned the gun on himself. Hospital personnel put Josely on a stretcher and took him into the hospital for treatment where he died. Crystal also died at the scene before she could receive treatment, Roland said.
Josely hit several other cars in the parking lot but did not injure any innocent bystanders. Bundrick suffered some injuries from broken glass fragments and Lumpkin was not injured, Roland said.
Thursday's deaths marked the second shooting near the hospital. Firefighter Raymond Wingfield shot his wife, Amy, and her friend, Alisa Stewart, who were both North Central Medical Center nurses on May 16, 2002. Amy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Raymond was sentenced to 90 years in prison and was re-indicted on two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant and one count each of attempted escape, conspiracy to commit escape and possession of a deadly weapon after he a fellow inmate, Dalton Collins, tried to escape from a Houston County prison, Prosecutor Kelly Weeks of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Special Prosecution Unit said.
Roland said Crystal and Josely Benavidez had a history of family violence. Roland said Crystal moved from Fort Worth to McKinney to get away from Josely, and made at least two 911 calls on Dec. 30 and 31 to McKinney Police after Josely threatened her over the telephone.
The couple had recently separated and Crystal had a daughter, Roland said.
Roland also said according to interviews with family members, Josely had a history of violence against former girlfriends and another ex-wife. According to Washington Department of Corrections records, Benavidez was sentenced to 90 days in prison and 12 months of community supervision in King County for a Class C felony charge of unlawful imprisonment and a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass back in February of 1994. A King County Sheriff's Office representative could not be reached by presstime.
Roland said the hospital would not have been in any serious danger if Josely had gotten any closer to it since the hospital went on lockdown and armed officers were patrolling the building at the time.
“This has been the scene of a tragedy before,� Roland said at the scene. “If [he] got any closer, he would not have been able to gain entry.�
Shooting McKinney Texas
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