Six people, three of whom were teenagers, were shot Tuesday night following an argument in Dallas.
Dallas police were called around 9 p.m. to the 3000 block of South Lancaster Road on July 11.
During a preliminary investigation, police determined that the shooting incident occurred about 6 miles away in the 8200 block of Willoughby Boulevard, per a Wednesday press release from the Dallas Police Department.
The six individuals were reportedly shot after arguing with at least two suspects who began to fire at them.
Two male victims were transported to the hospital by Dallas Fire-Rescue. Four other victims were also treated for gunshot wounds but arrived at the hospital by their own means.
The victims included a 14-year-old male, a 15-year-old male, an 18-year-old male, and a 37-year-old female. The ages of the two men hospitalized via ambulance have not been announced, but police have said each victim is currently in stable condition.
Residents near the scene of the shooting reported damage to homes and vehicles from the gunfire. One neighbor, Ciera French, said she had been sitting in her car just moments before a bullet pierced the driver’s side window. She said she had gone inside her house after noticing a group of people arguing.
“… [A]t the angle that the bullet went through, if I was sitting in the car a little longer … the investigator said I would have been DOA,” French told NBC 5 DFW.
She expressed concern about the effect the shooting had on her family.
“My kids were afraid. My son, he was very, very shaken up. He’s four. He’s like, oh mommy, are you okay? I was going to come save you from the bad guys. I’m like, you can’t. It’s sad, because the kids had to go through the thought process of like, oh I could have lost my mom right now,” said French.
“I don’t like how irresponsible the situation was, because y’all could have hurt a lot of people, taken a lot of things from a lot of people. Just over a mere fight or argument that probably wasn’t even important, you know?” she told NBC 5.
Teresa Jimenez said windows in her home were shot through during the incident.
“I thank God that nobody was in that room at that time, because my granddaughters … always are with me in that room, jumping on the bed. My bed is just right here right in front of the door,” Jimenez told NBC 5.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact DPD and refer to case number 125797-2023.
Crime issues have persisted in Dallas, with homicide rates increasing by 23% during the first four months of the year. More recent statistics have been pronounced “unreliable” by the City since early May due to a reported ransomware attack on its servers.
In a bid to address its own crime, neighboring Fort Worth has implemented a dedicated police unit to patrol its downtown area, which has seemingly lent to a much lower crime rate than in Downtown Dallas.
However, a shortage of officers is undoubtedly hampering the Dallas Police Department’s ability to deter crime. DPD currently employs only about 3,100 officers, far fewer than the estimated 4,000 needed to adequately police the city.
