Irving teens held in death of man over stolen gun

Irving police arrested two teenagers following the fatal shooting of Andez Manning, a 40-year-old resident who died on Saturday after being wounded during a dispute over a missing firearm.

The incident began on Thursday when Manning and his stepson went to the Devon on Northgate apartments. The two men sought to speak with two friends of the stepson regarding a gun taken from their home. A second meeting took place later that day off Esters Road, where the victims were inside a vehicle.

According to an arrest warrant, the teenagers opened fire at the car. Manning returned fire but sustained a gunshot wound to the head. His stepson drove the injured man to a nearby Family Dollar, where they called for assistance.

Investigators identified the suspects as 17-year-old Zayne Ryder Townsend and a juvenile. The stepson named both individuals in the warrant. Townsend declined to answer questions from detectives. Police initially charged Townsend with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon because Manning was on life support. His status is expected to change to murder following his death, though the timing of the update has not been set.

Charles Ahmad Mosley, Manning's uncle, said the family believes the adults in the teens' lives should have been contacted instead of having the men confront the minors directly. Mosley, who leads the nonprofit Taqwa Ministries, expressed grief for both the victims and the suspects. "It shouldn't have been resolved by confronting them," Mosley said. "Why gangsters carry the guns is because they're out there in the streets, they're out there doing crime, man. That's why they got a gun. Gangsters. You want to be a gangster? That's why they got it."

Mosley noted that when he was younger, disputes were often settled with hand-to-hand combat rather than firearms. He has been a convicted felon for 20 years, a period during which he focused on mentoring inmates through his ministry. The shooting has brought the cycle of violence back into his personal circle, leaving him mourning a nephew while two young men face potential incarceration.