A 53-year-old retired military veteran is facing capital murder charges in Harris County following a deadly shooting at a west Houston apartment complex that claimed the lives of two leasing office employees. The violence reportedly erupted during a dispute over a rental contract, leaving the local residential community shaken and prompting a heavy law enforcement response.
Prosecutors presented the state's initial findings during a court appearance on Wednesday, outlining how Derrick Jackson allegedly turned violent during a confrontation at the Park at Woodlake leasing office. Jackson, who had lived at the property for three years, reportedly confessed to Houston police investigators that an escalating disagreement concerning his lease terms caused him to abruptly lose control.
The victims of the fatal attack were identified by authorities as 67-year-old Rosa Linda Ybarra and 47-year-old Felix Antonio Jimenez-Macz. Both were working on site when the confrontation took place and sustained fatal injuries inside the property's management office located at 9545 Ella Lee Lane.
According to statements delivered by prosecutor Simone Colson, Jackson told detectives that he grew intensely frustrated during the interaction when one of the leasing staff members began speaking in a mixture of Spanish and English. The tension peaked when Ybarra verbally challenged him, asking whether he had signed the lease agreement in question.
Following that verbal exchange, Jackson allegedly drew a firearm and opened fire inside the office, striking Ybarra. The prosecutor noted that Jackson then targeted Jimenez-Macz as the employee attempted to flee the gunfire, shooting him twice during the pursuit.
Jackson further admitted to authorities that when Jimenez-Macz did not immediately succumb to the gunshot wounds, he used a knife to stab the injured worker. The violent sequence ended with both staff members suffering fatal trauma before emergency personnel could intervene.
Security camera footage recovered from the scene played a critical role in corroborating the timeline of events. Investigators reviewed surveillance video showing an individual entering the Ella Lee Lane office at approximately 5:30 p.m. and exiting roughly 12 minutes later. Jackson later acknowledged to police that he was indeed the person captured on the video recording.
The grim scene was discovered shortly after the shooter departed, when another apartment resident walked into the office and found both Ybarra and Jimenez-Macz unresponsive. First responders and homicide detectives quickly launched an intensive search for the suspect based on witness accounts and physical evidence.
Law enforcement officers located and apprehended Jackson on Friday at an area hotel. At the time of his arrest, investigators discovered that he was in possession of spent ammunition casings that directly corresponded to the ballistics evidence recovered from the apartment leasing office.
The legal proceedings on Wednesday drew several relatives of Ybarra, who sat together in the gallery of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center to observe the formal reading of the allegations. Family members appeared visibly affected by the recounting of the incident and opted not to provide public statements following the hearing.
During the arraignment, the Harris County District Attorney's Office adjusted its approach regarding pre-trial detention. While prosecutors had initially planned to petition for Jackson to be held without bond, Colson instead petitioned the court to set a high financial bail amount.
Presiding Judge Josh Hill of the 232nd District Court granted the state's request, establishing Jackson's bond at $1 million. In evaluating the terms, Judge Hill observed that Jackson did not possess a verified prior criminal background, contradicting a notation in the initial charging instrument that had listed a 1998 narcotics conviction.
Colson clarified the discrepancy before the judge, explaining that the decades-old drug offense was tied to another individual who shared the same name. The state confirmed that the official complaint against Jackson would be formally amended to remove the misattributed criminal record.
Jackson’s defense counsel, Chauntelle Wood White, highlighted her client’s long-standing background as a retired member of the United States armed services. White noted that Jackson had maintained his residency in the Houston area since completing his military service in 2017.
Federal service records indicate that Jackson served from 1993 until 2017 across both active-duty Army and U.S. Army Reserve assignments. During his 24-year military career, he operated as an infantryman and an aviation operations specialist, eventually attaining the senior noncommissioned officer rank of sergeant first class.
Jackson’s military service also included multiple overseas combat tours. Official records document a deployment to Iraq in 2008, followed by two separate operational tours in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 before his transition back to civilian life. Jackson remains in custody as formal capital murder proceedings move forward in Harris County district court.
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