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Robbery at Lubbock arcade, shooting suspect charged

A Lubbock County grand jury on Tuesday indicted a 30-year-old man who was arrested in connection with a shooting last month at a gambling den southeast of the city.

Rex Davis Jr., who has been held in Lubbock County since his July 25 arrest, is charged with aggravated robbery in the July 24 robbery at Donna's Pak-n-Sak Game Room in the 6200 block of East U.S. 84, which left 49-year-old Wenlong Yu with a gunshot wound. Sheriff's officials said Yu has been released from the hospital.

The offense is a first-degree felony punishable by five years to life imprisonment.

The allegation stems from an investigation by the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office that began around 6:20 a.m. when officers were called to the game room for a shooting.

When officers arrived, they found Yu with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The man, who worked in the arcade, was taken to the university hospital by ambulance.

In the game room, investigators found a magazine and a 9 mm cartridge case.

Witnesses at the scene described the shooter as a tall black man wearing a beanie hat. They told investigators the magazine fell out of the shooter's gun as he ran from the game room.

A latent fingerprint was found on the magazine, court documents say.

Video from the company's surveillance cameras shows Yu kneeling on the ground as a tall black man, later identified as Davis, approached him from behind and attempted to snatch his belt pouch containing cash.

As they fought for the pack, the men disappeared from the camera's view.

However, in the video, investigators were able to see how patrons of the arcade reacted to an apparently violent incident, the documents say.

Next, security cameras show the tall man running out of the playroom as Yu comes back into view. He appears to be holding his left chest with his right hand and the left side of his face with his left hand.

Guests of the gaming room could be seen trying to treat the injured worker.

Meanwhile, investigators secured video from a neighboring gaming parlor's security cameras aimed at the Pak-n-Sak gaming parlor's parking lot.

The video shows a green Buick lacrosse park across from Donna's Pak-n-Sak game room before the shooting.

The vehicle, which investigators said belonged to Davis, was driven by a large black man who got out with a woman. At about 6:20 a.m., the couple entered Donna's Pak-n-Sak game room.

About two minutes later, the man runs out of the game room, heads straight for the green vehicle, where he fumbles with his keys and then speeds off toward Slaton.

Investigators entered the getaway vehicle's data into the state's license plate recognition system and found that the vehicle was registered to Davis.

Two eyewitnesses were shown a picture of Davis and identified him as the shooter.

One of the witnesses, who knew Davis by his street name “Sleepy,” told investigators he may have left his car in Lubbock.

Members of the Texas Anti-Gang Taskforce found Davis leaving a home in the 2200 block of 30th Street, where they also found the suspected getaway vehicle in the driveway.

During his interview with investigators, Davis allegedly admitted to shooting the gaming parlor employee and hiding the weapon used in a closet in the house.

Davis reportedly told investigators that there was a disagreement with the casino employee over money and that the employee began arguing with him.

Davis reportedly said that during the altercation with the employee, a shot was fired from the gun he had in his pocket.

However, investigators point out that Davis' version of events does not match the video evidence and eyewitness accounts collected during the investigation.

Davis was taken to the Lubbock County Detention Center. His bail is set at $350,000.

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