TYLER, Texas — A grand jury has indicted a Tyler man for murder after police say he shot a man causing him to crash into a power pole.
According to the Smith County District Attorney's Office, Manuel Mendez Prieto II has been "true billed" by a Smith County grand jury.
On Aug. 17, 2021, around 6 a.m., officers with the Tyler Police Department responded to a one-vehicle wreck at the intersection of E. Front St. and S. Palmer Ave. after the driver struck a power pole. The driver, identified as Michael Lee Tucker, 29, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials say Tucker had been shot prior to crashing his truck. Police believe the shooting took place in the 2000 block of S. Palmer Ave.
Prieto was charged with murder in connection with the shooting after turning himself for two aggravated robberies.
He is currently in the Smith County Jail on $1,750,000 bond ($1 million for murder and $750 for aggravated robbery).
