A Denton musician remained hospitalized Tuesday in stable condition after being shot in the chest by a man who police say held an old grudge against him. The man accused of shooting him was in city jail.
Ryan McGuire, 26, of Sanger is charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. He was being held Tuesday afternoon in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Eric Keyes, 43, was walking his dog at about 4 p.m. Monday when the man, who police say had already visited him and was still standing on his porch, opened fire with a handgun. The bullet entered his right chest, passed through without harming vital organs, exited his left chest and lodged in his left arm, police said.
Police said McGuire is related to a woman who accused Keyes of sexual assault in 2004. Keyes was arrested, but a grand jury chose to not indict him.
Police Capt. Roger White said Tuesday that Keyes, a recording artist who was once with the band Riddle Me This, told officers that a man he didn’t know identified himself as Ryan and knocked on his door in the 2000 block of Cherrywood Lane. He told Keyes that he was a fan of his music. He acted oddly and the victim soon closed his door.
Keyes planned to walk his dog and exited the back of his house to get the dog. He then walked through a gate and around the house, where the man was still standing on his front porch. The man opened fire at him.
Neighbors heard three shots. White said Keyes was hit by one bullet but it caused three injuries.
One neighbor in the 2000 block of Northwood Terrace told police that he was working outdoors when he saw Keyes and his dog running into his yard. He could see that Keyes was injured, he said. He ran indoors and called 911.
Arriving medics reported seeing a white sport utility vehicle leaving the neighborhood at a high rate of speed and being driven erratically.
Keyes told arriving officers that a man named Ryan shot him, according to a police report.
Officers searched the neighborhood and used a dog to track the suspect but were not able to find him.
In October 2004, Denton police arrested Keyes on a charge of sexual assault after a woman reported that he forced her to have sex after a party at his home that Sept. 21. Keyes subsequently was no-billed on the charge by a grand jury.
On Monday evening, a Sanger man called the Denton County Sheriff’s Office to report that his son was involved in a shooting in Denton. Sanger officers detained Ryan McGuire until Denton police arrived. After questioning him, they arrested him on the aggravated assault charge.
Keyes graduated from the University of North Texas in 1995 and founded the electric rock band Riddle Me This. The band earned fans regionally and got national attention when Time Warner Entertainment issued a trademark challenge to the band, accusing members of unlawfully taking their name from the company’s Batman movies.
Keyes released his first solo album in 2004 and released Back in Blue in March.
The musician teaches private lessons and maintains a performance schedule. He also keeps a blog detailing his spiritual and musical practices, his philosophies and his music.
Staff Writer Lucinda Breeding contributed to this report.
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.
