FORT WORTH, TX – In a tragic twist of fate, Thanksgiving has forever changed for one family in Fort Worth, Texas. Oscar Beto Lopez, a 26-year-old father, was discovered dead in his driveway, the victim of a violent dispute with a neighbor over loud music.
Amanda Fernicola, Lopez’s wife, described the night as surreal. Her husband had returned home with dinner when the sound of gunfire pierced the air. “I saw his truck outside,” Fernicola recalled, “but he wasn’t in it. I walked out, calling his name, and found him on the ground. It felt like a nightmare.”
Authorities quickly apprehended Caspian Swinney, a nearby resident seen leaving the scene. According to police, an argument between Lopez and Swinney escalated, resulting in Swinney firing multiple gunshots.
Surveillance footage from Fernicola’s home captured the sequence of events. “You can hear the music playing, then it stops,” she said. “Someone asks, ‘Can you turn it down?’ And then everything went wrong.”
Fernicola mentioned that Swinney had previously complained about noise. “He was annoyed by our music on my birthday too,” she noted, pointing to ongoing tensions in the neighborhood.
Lopez’s death leaves a deep void in the lives of his young sons, aged five and just over three months, and a widow grappling with disbelief. “I screamed until I couldn’t anymore,” Fernicola said, remembering the moment she realized her husband was gone.
As the investigation continues, Swinney remains in police custody, charged with a crime that has left the community in mourning. What should have been a festive holiday has turned into a period of grief and reflection.