Court records connect Kyle Carruth to deadly shooting of Chad Read

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Recently filed court documents have revealed the man accused of a November 5 deadly shooting in south Lubbock; however, those court records are now sealed and not available to the public.

The Lubbock-Avalanche Journal reports a signed Nov. 8 affidavit identifies the shooter as William Kyle Carruth. That document, signed by Judge Anne-Marie Carruth, was filed as part of her countersuit in the couple’s divorce. She is the judge of the 72nd District Court in Crosby and Lubbock counties. This is the first time since the shooting William Kyle Carruth’s name has been revealed, but law enforcement has not named him as a suspect at the time of this report. William Kyle Carruth is a land developer.

On Friday, November 5, Lubbock Police found Chad Read, 54, dead at a home in the 2100 block of 90th street. Police say through the initial course of the investigation, it appears there was a fight between Read and another man related to a domestic incident, and shots were fired.

Carruth’s now-ex-wife filed a countersuit in her divorce proceedings to exclude her ex-husband from their Lubbock home on 9th Street.

In the affidavit, according to the newspaper, Anne-Marie Carruth wrote she was “notified that my husband, William Kyle Carruth, is under investigation for the shooting and killing of his girlfriend’s children’s father after he attempted to pick up his children late Friday afternoon. My knowledge of the incident is very limited at this time, and it is my understanding that the police are still investigating.”

The couple separated in July and William Kyle Carruth filed for divorce in September. The court documents were sealed when the divorce was finalized, on November 19. Both parties agreed to seal the divorce records and a judge determined the reasons were valid.

Newspaper staff viewed the documents Friday and published the article late that day. When KCBD NewsChannel 11 attempted to view those same court records Monday morning, court officials told us they were sealed Friday. Sources tell KCBD the divorce was filed in the 99th District Court, however, Judge Phillip Hays recused himself and a visiting judge from Amarillo presided. The judge from Amarillo granted the request to seal the records.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the case after the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office officially recused itself and the case was assigned to a prosecutor from the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office filed to recuse itself from the case on November 10, on the grounds that an elected official may be called to testify.

The Lubbock Police Department then transferred its case files to the Texas Attorney General’s Office for review.

Since the fatal shooting, KCBD NewsChannel 11 continuously checked court records for any update on the case. Open records requests were sent to the City of Lubbock and the Texas Attorney General.

The City of Lubbock Open Records Center responded with the news release from the police department sent on November 6 and the initial police report. The news release identified the victim but did not identify the suspected shooter. The police report revealed the same information.

On November 10, the Lubbock Police Department issued a statement regarding the case. In it, police officials wrote, “While LPD recognizes there is public interest in this case, there are multiple facets of this ongoing investigation that dictate what can and cannot be released to the public, per Texas state law.” It goes on to show, “[t]he Lubbock Police Department prides itself on its relationship with the Lubbock community and strives each and every day to be an agency of transparency, no matter who is or is not connected to an investigation. We ask for the public’s patience as our investigators continue to work this case, just as it would any other.”

On November 16, Lubbock Police released an update stating “METRO investigators reviewed all associated information and requested follow-up interviews between November 11th and November 15th. The METRO Unit transferred the case files over to the Attorney General’s office on Tuesday, November 16th to allow the office to begin their review process of the case following the recusal of the Lubbock County District Attorney’s office.”

Carruth has not been charged with any crime related to the shooting as of this report. No other charges have been filed in this case.

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