Suspect charged in shooting that killed a man at Arlington park, police say

Nicole Lopez
·2 min read

A suspect who fatally shot a man at a park where they met to conduct an illegal gun purchase has been indicted on a murder charge, according to Arlington police.

Keyon Flynn, 23, has been identified as the suspect in the homicide, which happened almost five years ago, police said in a news release Tuesday. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence for an unrelated murder conviction, according to police.

Flynn was indicted this time by a Tarrant County grand jury on a murder charge in the death of Nicholas Coffman, 21, who was fatally shot on Aug. 3, 2019.

Detectives believe Coffman and a friend pulled into Deaver Park, at 5800 Kelly Elliot Road, around 9 p.m. that day. They had arranged to sell a handgun and went to the park to meet a potential buyer they had been speaking to via social media, according to police. Another car with multiple people inside was already in the parking lot, waiting to meet Coffman and his friend.

Coffman got out of his friend’s vehicle and briefly spoke with one of the passengers in the suspect vehicle, according to the investigation. Coffman was then directed to go around to the other side of the car, when another passenger in the suspect vehicle fired at him, hitting him in the abdomen, police say.

Coffman’s friend immediately drove him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.

Nicholas Coffman, 21, was fatally shot on Aug. 3, 2019, at an Arlington park.
Nicholas Coffman, 21, was fatally shot on Aug. 3, 2019, at an Arlington park.

During the initial investigation, detectives were able to identify multiple suspects who were in contact with Coffman that night, but needed additional evidence in order to present a murder charge in the case, police say.

In September 2023, a witness provided police with information that determined Flynn was at the crime scene in the suspect vehicle, the release states. The witness also positively identified Flynn as the suspect.

While detectives believe Flynn organized the shooting, they said it is possible that other suspects could be charged in the case as well.

More top stories:

→ Tim O'Hare, Alisa Simmons chastised over heated exchange

→ Family of ex-Marine Anthony Johnson demand answers over jail death

→ Are these Austin’s best tacos? Cult favorite coming to Fort Worth

🚨 Get our alerts when major news breaks!

Flynn was sentenced to 25 years after he pleaded guilty in 2022 to murder and engaging in organized criminal activity in the killing of Arlington Bowie High School student Anthony Strather Jr.

Strather, a football star and senior at Bowie High, was shot in October 2019 when he tried to break up a fight in an Arlington neighborhood, police have said.

Arlington Bowie High School football star Anthony Strather is pictured with his grandfather, Lawrence Smith of Arlington. Strather was shot to death in 2019 while trying to stop a fight.
Arlington Bowie High School football star Anthony Strather is pictured with his grandfather, Lawrence Smith of Arlington. Strather was shot to death in 2019 while trying to stop a fight.

An attorney representing Flynn in the current case was not listed in court records.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • ‘You’re Done’: Cassie’s Husband Pens Scathing Letter on Abuse After Diddy Video

    Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesAfter CNN released horrifying footage from 2016 that showed Diddy assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, Cassie’s husband put abusers on blast in a scathing letter against domestic violence perpetrators.Alex Fine, who married Cassie in 2019, posted the letter on Instagram on Friday afternoon. He didn’t hold back from flaming men who have raised a hand against the women in their lives. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) “Men who

  • Golfer's prompt release from jail angers some who recall city's police turmoil

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and prompt release from a Louisville jail Friday that let him play in a high-profile tournament after being booked on charges including felony assault has sparked questions on social media over whether he was given preferential treatment because of his fame. They recall what they consider malfeasance by the Louisville police department, which a national report last year found has used excessive force and invalid search warrants

  • Canadian teen says he was fined $580 at McDonald's drive-thru for using app; police dispute

    Mason Prima said he was fined $580 for opening the McDonald's app at a drive-thru in Saskatoon, Canada but police have rejected his story.

  • Los Angeles County Explains Why It Won’t Prosecute Diddy Despite Video

    REUTERSThe Los Angeles District Attorney’s office has revealed why it won’t be prosecuting Sean “Diddy” Combs after horrific footage showed him brutally attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel.The office said in an Instagram post that because the alleged attack happened on March 5, 2016, the window to prosecute has lapsed. California’s statute of limitations for simple assault is one year, while aggravated assault is three years. “We are aware of the video that has been circulati

  • Arizona man sentenced to natural life in prison for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive

    An Arizona man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 death of his wife, who was buried alive in a hand-dug grave near their home, authorities said. Seven years after the murder, David Pagniano decided to plead guilty before his trial was scheduled to start and allowed a judge to determine his sentence without a plea agreement. Pagniano, 62, also was sentenced on May 9 to a 16 ½-year prison term for kidnapping, forgery and fraud, according to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

  • Mansfield nursery worker smeared leftovers in toddler's face

    Helen Walker, 49, was caught on CCTV immediately trying to cover up what she had done, police said.

  • They’ve been stuck for 7 weeks on the ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge. This is what life is like for the Dali crew

    It could be weeks or even months before crew members can leave, due to complications beyond their control. Here’s why they’re still confined – and how they’re coping

  • 17-year-old girl sex trafficked from Mexico to US is rescued after texting 911 for help

    A 17-year-old girl, a trafficking victim, was rescued by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in California after texting 911, authorities said.

  • ‘We’ll See You at Your House:’ How Fear and Menace Are Transforming Politics

    One Friday last month, Jamie Raskin, a Democratic member of Congress from Maryland, spent a chunk of his day in court securing a protective order. It was not his first. Raskin, who played a leading role in Donald Trump’s second impeachment hearing, said he received about 50 menacing calls, emails and letters every month that are turned over to the Capitol Police. His latest court visit was prompted by a man who showed up at his house and screamed in his face about the COVID-19 vaccine, Trump’s i

  • ‘How do you get hypothermia in a prison?’ Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates

    RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: “unbearable” conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia. “How do you get hypothermia in a prison?” the investigator asked. “You shouldn’t.” The exchange, captured on video obtained by The Associated Press, took place during an investigation into the death of Charles Givens, a developmentally disabled inmate at

  • SIU investigating woman's death after arrest in Barrie

    Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after a 28-year-old woman died in hospital Saturday morning after she was arrested in Barrie. Barrie police arrested the woman on Thursday near 49 Colter Street for outstanding warrants, the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a news release Saturday. She was taken to the station and held in a cell.On Friday, Ontario police transported the woman from the Barrie police station to Central North Correctional Centre, the SIU said. The woman

  • "He Had Killed His Own Son, Niece, And Brother Later That Day" And 26 More Terrifying Stories About People Who Encountered Or Knew Killers

    "I look up and make eye contact and he had more blood splattered on his face, and a huge grin."

  • Man gets 30 years in prison for attacking ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man who broke into the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeking to hold her hostage and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the 2022 midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. He suffered two head wounds including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will have for the

  • Ontario's police watchdog investigating death of 28-year-old woman arrested in Barrie

    BARRIE, Ont. — Ontario's police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who passed out while officers were taking her to jail. The Special Investigations Unit says officers with the Barrie Police Service arrested the woman on Thursday night because she was wanted on outstanding warrants. The agency says the officers took the woman to a police station, where she was kept in a cell. The following day, the SIU says special constables with the Ontario Provincial Police were taking the woman f

  • Man dead after being found shot inside car in Brampton, police say

    A man has died after he was found shot in a residential area in Brampton Saturday morning, police say.Peel Regional Police said they were called to the scene of a shooting at Mississauga Road and Sandalwood Parkway shortly before 7:30 a.m.When officers arrived they found the victim inside a car parked in a driveway at one of the residences at Ivor Crescent, Const. Richard Chin said.The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but later died, Chin said.Peel police's homici

  • Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.” “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and Facebook. The security video aired Friday shows Combs, wearing only a white to

  • Officials seize around $500,000 worth of elvers from Toronto's Pearson airport

    TORONTO — A major seizure of baby eels at Toronto's Pearson International Airport that federal officials say were destined for shipment overseas are estimated to be worth between $400,000 and $500,000. The seizure of 109 kilograms of elvers was carried out on Wednesday by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canada Border Services Agency. "Our message is crystal clear: do not travel to Nova Scotia to illegally fish or export elvers this year, enforcement officers will be waiting for yo

  • Sean 'Diddy' Combs Settled Civil Lawsuit with Cassie 'So Quickly' Because of 2016 Hotel Surveillance Video, Says Former CIA Agent

    Former CIA agent Tracy Walder exclusively tells PEOPLE that she predicts "something will come down soon in terms of charges"

  • Two Chiefs offensive linemen arrested, charged with marijuana possession in JoCo

    Two Kansas City Chiefs players were arrested and charged with marijuana possession before being released on bond Friday.

  • Man charged with murder in deaths of 3 Oregon women found in different locations days apart, district attorney says

    A 39-year-old man was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on murder charges for the deaths of three Oregon women whose bodies were found in 2023, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney.