Wichita Falls man charged with murder of 6

A Wichita Falls man was arrested Monday on charges of murder and child endangerment in connection with a July 9 crash in Archer City that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old boy, a spokesman with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Monday.

Troopers served three felony arrest warrants Monday on Tyler Mark Steel, 30, for a murder charge and two counts of child endangerment in connection with the crash, DPS Sgt. Juan L. Gutierrez said in a media release.

At the time of the one-vehicle rollover crash, Steel was at the wheel with a 6-year-old and two 12-year-old boys as passengers. Keller Spade Garrett, 6, of Archer City was thrown from the vehicle during the rollover. He died July 11 in a Fort Worth hospital.

Steel, who is the 6-year-old's uncle, was being held Monday in Archer County Jail on $300,000 in bonds for a murder charge in connection with the 6-year-old's death and two counts of child endangerment, according to online jail records.

The charges stem from a criminal investigation involving the July 9 crash in Archer City, Gutierrez said. The case will be submitted to the 97th District Attorney's Office, which serves Archer, Clay and Montague counties.

Steel and Garrett were not wearing seatbelts, but the older boys were at the time of the crash at 9:45 p.m. July 9, according to the DPS.

Troopers' preliminary investigation found that Steel was driving a 2019 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck south on South Rose Street at an unsafe speed in an area with a posted speed limit of 30 mph, according to allegations in an earlier DPS media release. Steel disregarded a stop sign at the intersection of South Rose Street and East South Street.

Then the pickup crossed East South Street, going through the south barrow ditch, which caused the vehicle to go airborne. The pickup landed and rolled over on the passenger side. The 6-year-old was ejected from the truck during the rollover.

Garrett was transported to Cook Children's Medical Center and pronounced dead at 7:19 p.m. July 11. Steel and the two 12-year-old were transported to United Regional Health Care System where they were treated and released.

Troopers from Archer City and Wichita Falls conducted an investigation of the crash.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, covers education, courts, breaking news, investigative projects and more. Contact Trish with news tips at [email protected]. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.