Security guard accused of murder in shooting man outside hookah lounge in Texas

A security guard has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 32-year-old man at a hookah lounge early Sunday, police in Texas said.

Teddy Lee Mills is accused of shooting Day'shaun Colen just after 2 a.m. at the Bravo Hookah Lounge in Abilene, where Mills worked for a private security company and Colen was a potential patron, police said.

mills was arrested Wednesday and taken to the Taylor County Jail, where he remained Thursday. His bail was set at $250,000. No attorney was listed for him in court records.

According to a complaint obtained by NBC News, Abilene police responded to a call about an injured person in the lounge just after 3 a.m. Sunday. Abilene is approximately 150 miles west of Fort Worth. By the time officers arrived, Colen had already been taken to the hospital. Two of Colen's relatives and the lounge's building manager said in separate interviews Wednesday that Colen's friends took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mills and witnesses told officers that Colen was shot after a large group of people tried to break in through the lounge's front door, the complaint says. The lounge had reached its 160-person capacity when Colen and others attempted to enter, building manager JR Rounsaville said in an interview Wednesday evening. The names of those who attempted to enter the lounge are not named in the complaint.

According to the complaint, Mills, who was carrying a firearm, and another unarmed security guard were at the door. As the crowd pushed through the door, Mills allegedly fired two shots, hitting Colen twice.

Mills told officers at the scene that Colen “became loud” and threatened him, that the people at the door ignored orders to stand back so security could close the door, and that the crowd told him that he wouldn't close the door before they started pushing in, the complaint says. Mills also told officers that Colen said he was “going to get him” and that he felt “they” grab his Taser as the crowd pushed in. Mills said he tried to defend himself and “he was dragged,” at which point he reached for his firearm, according to the complaint. Mills then refused to speak further without representation, the complaint says.

A witness named in the complaint told NBC News that he told police that Colen and the shooter got into an argument and that he tried to get between them before things escalated. He said he told police he put his arm around Colen, but they were both pushed forward by the crowd and stumbled toward the man, who then fired his gun. The witness said he told police that Colen did not try to enter the venue.

Rounsaville said he and his parents own the building. He said he turned the video over to police hours after the shooting. He declined to share video with NBC News, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

A representative from Apex Tactical Security, which police said provided security at the lounge, confirmed by phone Thursday that the company had hired Mills but declined further comment. The company did not immediately respond to an email inquiry about Mills' employment status and how long he had worked for Apex Tactical Security. As of Thursday morning, his photo and work history were still listed on the company's website. According to the website, Mills spent 10 years in the Army, three years with the Knox County Sheriff's Department and nine years with a sheriff's department in Indiana.

Colen's cousin Charles Reynolds and Lawrence Glover, another cousin who lives in Abilene, said Colen was grieving the sudden loss of his mother, who died in August. They said Colen was an outgoing person and a loving father of three girls. Reynolds, who lives in Florida, said that he and Colen had a very close relationship and that when they last spoke weeks ago, they had planned for Colen to visit him.

Reynolds and Glover questioned why it took police three days to make an arrest even though they had video of the shooting and said they believe the delay was related to Mills' experience as a law enforcement officer. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Reynolds and Glover's comments.