DETAILS: Violent Suspect Charged with Murder Monday in Dena Drive Shootings

SAN ANGELO- A San Angelo man facing multiple violent charges has now been charged with the murder of Shawn “Turbo” Clark at a residence on Dena Drive in College Hills.

On Monday, June 13, 2022, Paul Zipper, was charged with the murder of Shawn Clark.

According to court documents, San Angelo police officers were dispatched to Shannon South, located at 3501 Knickerbocker Road, on May 25, 2022, regarding a gunshot victim. The victim was dropped off by his girlfriend in the early morning hours on May 25, 2022. The victim said Paul Zipper had approached him and Shawn Clark and shot them both.

On May 24, 2022, Shawn Clark and Paul Zipper went to Giz and Hums’ Billiards and Brews. Surveillance footage obtained from the establishment confirmed both Zipper and Clark played pool at the bar. The two also patronized Parrot Head Tavern that night and were seen on surveillance footage exiting the bar at about 12:12 a.m. on May 25, 2022.

Zipper was observed wearing a long sleeve gray shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a black baseball cap. Clark was wearing a t-shirt, blue jeans that were tucked into work boots, and brown colored cowboy style work boots.

Clark arrived at a residence at the 1900 block of Dena Drive to return a stolen paintball gun to the victim and the victim’s girlfriend. While at the residence, the girlfriend said she overheard a conversation Clark was having on the phone. She said the voice on the other end was Zipper’s voice.

About 10 minutes later, Zipper arrived at the residence and became immediately involved in a verbal argument with Clark. The girlfriend said Clark was seated on the couch in the garage but stood up. Then, Zipper produced a silver and black colored pistol and shot Shawn Clark in the chest. The other man was close to Clark when he was shot and attempted to run away but was shot in the dining room/kitchen area on the house.

A search warrant for the residence was issued and a pool of dried blood was observed next to the tires and rims in the garage. Also, the rims also had blood spattered on them. Investigators also observed what appeared to be drag marks marked with what appeared to be dried blood. The track of dried blood was consistent with an object being moved through the pool of blood before it dried.

Zipper demanded the cameras from the Dena residents because he believed that the gunshot victim and his girlfriend had recorded surveillance of the residence. He then ordered the girlfriend to help him move Clark’s body. The girlfriend convinced Zipper to allow her to take her boyfriend to the hospital for medical attention. Zipper and Clark’s body were still at the residence when the girlfriend took her boyfriend to the hospital.

Surveillance footage from Shannon South showed the gunshot victim being brought into the hospital by wheelchair at about 12:32 a.m. The victim was accompanied by his girlfriend.

On May 26, 2022, an interview with the gunshot victim was reviewed by investigators. The victim said he was at his residence when Clark arrived. Later, Zipper arrived and was in a verbal argument with Clark. The victim then states that Zipper produced a silver-colored handgun and shot Shawn Clark in the chest at point blank range. The victim said this occurred in his garage and he attempted to run away but was shot as well.

A Detective obtained an aggravated assault arrest warrant for Zipper on May 26, 2022, and he was taken into custody. In Zipper’s statement, he admitted to being with Shawn Clark earlier playing pool at Giz and Hums’ Billiards and Brews and then stopping by Parrot's Head Tavern.

Investigators spoke with an Irion County Sheriff’s Deputy and learned that at about 1 a.m. on May 25, 2022, the deputy observed a black Chevrolet pickup parked near the intersection of Metcalfe Road and US Highway 67 in Irion County.

The black chevy pickup was parked across the railroad tracks facing US Highway 67 and the deputy knew the area had previous reports of thefts and burglaries. The deputy attempted to contact the occupant of the truck who appeared to be a bald man with a long beard. The driver of the pickup was likely Paul Zipper.

The deputy turned on his emergency lights. Zipper was wearing a black baseball cap and was not wearing a shirt. Zipper then began driving erratically and the deputy attempted a traffic stop. Zipper accelerated and refused to stop his truck. At approximately 1:12 a.m., the deputy lost contact with Zipper’s vehicle inside San Angelo city limits in the Southland/Sherwood Way area. While contact was lost, the deputy obtained a license plate of the black pickup to be PDK3744.

At 1:42 a.m. that same morning, San Angelo Police Dispatch received a call about a suspicious person in the 3600 block of Driftwood Drive. A San Angelo police officer made contact with the suspicious person who was occupying a black Chevy pickup with the license plate PDK3744. Zipper was observed not wearing a shirt and appeared to have mud on his shoes.

A landowner in Irion County was moving his goats at the 500 block of Penrose Road when he reported smelling a foul odor and locating human remains. The remains were confirmed to be human, and the body was clothed in a t-shirt and blue jeans tucked into brown cowboy type work boots. A large tattoo across the chest of the body matched that of a known tattoo on Shawn Clark.

A detective also advised the investigators that a handgun was in proximity to the body. The clothing matched clothes that were being worn by Shawn Clark at Giz and Hums Billiards and Brews and Parrot's Head Tavern.

The location of the recovered body and the location Zipper allegedly was seen by the Irion County Sheriff’s Deputy on the same morning Turbo was said to have been shot at point-blank range was about 470-475 linear yards apart.

The handgun found near the body was a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic silver and black handgun. The crime scene technician advised that two spent .40 caliber cartridge cases and one loaded .40 caliber cartridge case were located at the Dena Drive location. The cartridges were hollow point rounds with a red plastic insert in the hollow point and they were Hornady made. Investigators viewed still photographs of the ammo recovered from the handgun next to the body and observed it was Hornady made as well.

Investigators viewed recovered surveillance video from the H-E-B Grocery Store, located at 3301 Sherwood Way. A dark colored pickup is observed being driven on Avenue N from the direction of Dena Drive towards Sherwood Way. This vehicle is then seen turning west onto Sherwood Way at 12:32 a.m. past the gas pumps at the HEB.

Security footage was obtained from Stripes Convenience Store at 4650 Sherwood Way and Zipper is observed driving the dark colored pickup into the parking lot at 12:34 a.m. The camera captured Zipper as he stopped at the gas pumps and the obtained a small amount of gas in a container he retrieved from the bed of his pickup. Zipper was then observed driving the dark colored pickup west from the parking lot at 12:38 a.m.

Video from Twin Mountain Fence, located at 8747 US Highway 67, showed Zipper’s vehicle traveling west on US Highway 67 at 12:40 a.m.

On May 26, 2022, investigators spoke with detectives who seized Zipper’s vehicle after learning there was probable cause that the vehicle was used in the shooting at Dena Drive. A detective obtained a search warrant for the black pickup who found the carpet in the backseat floorboard had been cut and removed. There was also an odor that was believed to be gasoline coming from inside the pickup. Visible stains on the interior floorboard were tested and reacted presumptively positive for blood.

Detectives met with the manager of Wellington storage units. The manager provided information that Zipper rented two storage units at the location and provided surveillance footage to the detectives. The recorded video showed Zipper drive in the proximity of his storage units at 1:17 a.m. the same morning of the shooting.

Zipper exited the vehicle and began lighting some items on fire. Zipper was observed going back and forth between the pickup and the burning items. Later, investigators found burned rags in the area around Zipper’s storage units.

A detective located a burned piece of dark colored carpet in an open area across the street from the storage units. Investigators viewed the piece of burned carpet and detected an odor of what was believed to be gasoline. A crime scene supervisor collected the carpet and stated that it was the same type observed in Zipper’s pickup truck.

A search of the area where Zipper was seen by the Irion County Sheriff’s Deputy was conducted on May 28, 2022. Investigators learned that a grey long sleeve shirt was recovered about 1/6 of a mile from the intersection of Metcalfe Road and the railroad tracks. The shirt also appeared to have dried blood on the front of it. This shirt matched the shirt worn by Zipper at the Stripes Convenience Store.

Investigators have cause and do believe from the presented facts that Paul Zipper shot and killed Shawn Clark.

Paul Zipper was arrested on May 27, 2022 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. On Monday, June , 2022, Zipper  was charged with the murder of Shawn Clark. Zipper’s bond has been set at $1,010,000.00.