Insets, from left: Otis Parks (Houston police) and John Donat (GoFundMe). Background: Hotel in the 2100 block of South Highway 6 in Houston, Texas, where Parks allegedly shot Donat to death (Google Maps).
A Texas man is accused of fatally shooting a chef who was feeding the homeless outside a Houston hotel, a man who knew what it was like to struggle in life, cops say.
Otis Parks, 30, is charged with capital murder in the death of 58-year-old John Donat, according to a press release from Houston police.
Cops responded around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday to a hotel in the 2100 block of South Highway 6 for a shooting. Officers arrived to find Donat on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound. A nearby Chevrolet Tahoe crashed through a wooden fence in the parking lot.
Paramedics pronounced Donat dead at the scene.
Several witnesses told cops that Donat was driving the Tahoe and offering food to people. A woman said she saw a man walk up to the passenger side of the Tahoe and demand money.
She was walking away when she heard gunshots. The Tahoe crashed into the fence.
Cops arrested Parks, who allegedly matched the suspect description.
The victim's son Nick Donat said in an interview with local CBS affiliate KHOU that his father was a chef and lived at the long-term stay hotel where he was killed. Nick Donat said his father would often feed the homeless.
"He is a very helpful person," Nick Donat told the outlet. "He's been doing this a lot over the past couple of years."
John Donat, a South Carolina native and father of two, according to a GoFundMe, would collect items from local food banks and cook them before going out to feed others. He had a soft spot for people battling drug addiction because he had endured it himself.
His son is devastated that someone would kill a man who was trying to help others.
"I mean, that person did a terrible thing to someone I love and trust and depend on," the younger Donat said.
Parks remains in the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond. His next court date is set for Dec. 14.
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