The five-year saga of the Bar 5015 explosion in Houston has reached a critical juncture with the FBI's recent announcement, on Tuesday, of the arrest of Miziah Brice Shepherd. Shepherd, connected to a 2020 arson that resulted in a high-profile explosion at the Houston bar, is now in federal custody. According to KHOU, he made his first appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon.
As noted by Click2Houston, Shepherd was the last remaining suspect at large, in a case involving several individuals accused of conspiracy to set fire to Bar 5015. The arson plot, which resulted in the explosion on June 20, 2020, reportedly involved four men using five-gallon containers filled with flammable liquid to ignite the establishment in the early hours of the morning.
The FBI, alongside the Houston Police Department, Houston Arson Bureau, and ATF, have investigated the case, which detailed how the accused conspired and executed the deliberate act of arson. There were no reported injuries, but the explosion caused significant damage to Bar 5015 and neighboring businesses, such as Alfreda’s Cafeteria and a barbecue food truck that was affiliated with the bar, as reported by KHOU.
Earlier in April, indictments were filed against the alleged co-conspirators, including former Turkey Leg Hut co-owner Lyndell "Lynn" Price. The indictments, as Click2Houston reports, charge Price and others with conspiring to set fire by pouring gasoline through and beneath Bar 5015's deck area. Price, along with his alleged co-conspirators, faces up to 20 years in federal prison and, a possible fine of up to $250,000. The surveillance footage, which was pivotal in the investigation, captured the moments leading up to and after the explosion, including detailed actions like the purchase of gasoline, the subsequent pouring of it around the bar, and ultimately the ignition that caused the explosion.
