HOUSTON, TX- A disturbing case is reported out of Houston, where a chef who was feeding homeless people outside a city hotel was shot to death. Otis Parks, 30, has been charged with capital murder in the death of 58-year-old John Donat, whose only crime was trying to help people.
In a press release, the Houston Police Department wrote that at around 2:20 a.m. on September 30, officers responded to a shooting outside a hotel. On arrival, officers found Donat lying on the ground suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Other officers in the area found a Chevy Tahoe that had crashed through a wooden fence along the side of a parking lot. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced Donat dead at the scene.
According to Law & Crime, investigators spoke to several witnesses who told them the victim was driving the Tahoe and offering food to homeless people. One of them said she saw a man, identified as Parks, walk up to the passenger side of the Tahoe and demand money. She was walking away and heard gunshots. The Tahoe then crashed into the fence.
According to Nick Donat, the victim’s son, he told KHOU that his father was a chef and lived at the long-term stay hotel where he was killed. He said his father often fed the homeless.
“He is a very helpful person,” Nick said of his father. “He’s been doing this a lot over the past couple of years.”
According to a GoFundMe set up on the victim’s behalf, John Donat was a South Carolina native who would collect items from local food banks and cook them before going out to feed the homeless. As a former drug addict, he had a “soft spot” for those battling addiction.
Nick said he was devastated that someone whom his father was trying to help would kill him for no reason.
“I mean, that person did a terrible thing to someone I love and trust and depend on,” Nick said.
Parks is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Harris County jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 14.
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