LUBBOCK, Texas– Opening statements began in a trial Tuesday in the 137th District Court for an aggravated robbery that left one man dead in April 2019.
James Edward Dora, who was 26 at the time of the arrest, was one of five suspects arrested for the death of Tyshaun Bates, 20.
Bates was shot inside his home at the Lubbock Square Apartments in the 4600 block of 50th Street on April 10, 2019, according to Lubbock Police.
It was not until June 2019 when Dora was located in Killeen and was apprehended by law enforcement.
RELATED STORY: LPD: Fifth arrest made in the April murder of Tyshaun Bates
Although the prosecution in the case did not accuse Dora of shooting someone, they did make it apparent that he was involved in the aggravated robbery.
According to a 911 call presented during the case, witnesses at the apartment complex said they thought they heard several shots fired.
According to a witness on the stand, he said he looked through his peephole from his apartment door and saw three people run from the apartment. He described one of the suspects as 6 feet tall and skinny while looking through the peephole.
In a 911 call, the witness on the stand said, “They shot him in the chest, he’s not breathing. He’s gone.”
“I seen three black male run off. I didn’t see no faces, cause they had ski mask on,” according to a different 911 call presented in the trial.
EverythingLubbock.com will update the trial as it progresses over the next few days.
