The fatal shooting of a key witness in the murder trial of ex-Dallas police officer Amber Guyger “had nothing to do with the case”, detectives have said.
Joshua Brown, 27, lived in the same apartment block as Botham Jean who was killed by Guyger. She claims she mistook his flat for her own.
Mr Brown lived down the hall from from Mr Jean, 26, and was asked to testify as part of Guyger’s murder trial.
On Friday night, he was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the car park of the apartment complex, Dallas officials confirmed.
But authorities have dismissed speculation that his death was linked to the high-profile murder trial.
Police said his death had nothing to do with his involvement as a witness adding he was killed during a botched drug sale.
They confirmed officers in Marksville, Louisiana, arrested a 32-year-old man, Michael Mitchell, in connection with Mr Brown’s murder on Tuesday.
Mitchell's nephew, Jacquerious Mitchell, 20, remained in critical condition at a Dallas hospital with a gunshot wound that he blamed on Mr Brown, police said in a statement.
Detectives are now searching for a third suspect, Thaddeous Green, 22, who has been at large since last week’s shooting.
They believe the three men were in Dallas to buy drugs from Mr Brown, Assistant Chief Avery Moore said at a news conference Tuesday.
Jacquerious Mitchell told police Mr Brown shot him in the chest after he and Green began fighting during the drug deal, Mr Moore told reporters.
Green then shot Mr Brown twice before leaving with Brown's backpack and gun, police said.
Authorities confiscated 15.4kg of marijuana, 149g of cannabinoid cartridges and more than £3,270 ($4,000) in cash during a search of Brown's home.
It is unclear how the three men came into contact with Mr Brown or why they would have driven more than 300 miles from central Louisiana to buy marijuana in Texas.
The police announcement came amid widespread speculation about the 27-year-old's death, which happened two days after a jury sentenced Guyger to 10 years in prison for Mr Jean’s death.
The widely-publicised case has fuelled the debate over race, politics and policing in America.
Guyger fatally shot her upstairs neighbour in September 2018 in his apartment after she returned from working a long shift.
She was arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the killing, prompting criticism that the charge was too lenient. A grand jury later decided she should be tried for murder.
Mr Brown was one of several neighbours who were called by prosecutors to testify at the trial.
He said that on the night Mr Jean was killed, he heard what sounded like "two people meeting by surprise" and then two gunshots.
He said he had met the 26-year-old accountant from St Lucia for the first time that day.
Although police insist Mr Brown's killing had nothing to do with the case against Guyger, numerous conspiracy theories have underscored the distrust some Dallas residents feel towards authorities.
Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Mr Brown and Mr Jean’s families said he had “no reason to believe” investigators’ conclusions had been unreliable so far.
“But I believe some members of the community will have a difficult time accepting it because of their association with the Amber Guyger trial," he said.
Mr Merritt urged the Dallas Police Department to hand over the investigation into Mr Brown's death to another law enforcement agency as a way to bolster trust.
But assistant police chief Mr Moore said it was reckless for people to speculate on the circumstances surrounding Mr Brown's death, adding that it undermined the public's faith in the department.
