Tarrant County mother raising money for investigation into shooting death of her son

A Springtown mother is on a campaign to raise money for a private investigator and the family’s own autopsy for her 19-year-old son, who was shot to death on May 15 in his Fort Worth apartment.

Officials with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office have ruled that Tryston Steven-Arthur Edwards died from a gunshot wound to his head and that his death was a suicide.

His body was found in his apartment in the 3500 block of Northeast Loop 820 in Fort Worth.

On a GoFundMe page she started to raise money for a private investigation, Stephanie Adams said that Fort Worth police did not investigate her son’s death properly and wrote it off as a suicide.

“Homicide is still investigating,” said Fort Worth Officer Tracy Carter, a police department spokesman, in a Friday email in response to the status of the case.

To raise money for an investigation, Adams created a GoFundMe account this week, hoping to raise $50,000. As of Friday, she had raised more than $4,000.

Adams could not be reached Friday for comment.

On the GoFundMe account page, Adams called her son a “self sufficient adult” who had obtained his own apartment and car and constantly worked double shifts to support himself.

“Everyone who knows my son knows how amazing he was,” Adams wrote on the website. “He was respectful, intelligent, motivated and responsible.”

Adams noted that officials at the medical examiner’s office told her that her son was shot in the face and his gun cleaning kit was out, implying that he shot himself while cleaning his weapon. Then, Adams said, the story changed and she was told her son was shot in the right temple.

Here are other issues that Adams has raised, according to what she was told by someone who responded to the scene and what the family saw when they went to the apartment.

▪ Her son’s gun was under his blankets.

▪ His hands were above his head in a defensive position when he was found on his bed.

▪ Blood was on his computer mouse with what looks like an obvious fingerprint.

▪ Blood trails led from the bedroom to the bathroom.

▪ Blood-soaked sheets and pillows were in the bathtub.

▪ His gun cleaning kit was completely unopened and in the same condition as the day he bought it.

▪ Police did not search his phone to see who he was contacting or who he was with. Detectives did not search any of he three laptops that he owned.

Adams wrote that she doesn’t believe Fort Worth detectives have done a gunshot residue test on her son’s hands.

When sent the list of allegations and concerns, Fort Worth police said on Friday an investigation was continuing.

Adams also said that Fort Worth detectives have stopped taking her calls.

“I know we are asking for a lot,” Adams said on the GoFundMe page. “But all forensic testing will have to be paid out-of-pocket and is very expensive.”