Several suspects are still at large after a young man was gunned down in Downtown Dallas this weekend.
The Dallas Police Department is investigating the murder of 25-year-old Xavier Jasso. The victim was fatally shot in the 1000 block of Young Street at around 11:30 p.m. on May 26.
Found not far from Pioneer Plaza in District 2, which Council Member Jesse Moreno represents, Jasso was taken to a nearby hospital but eventually died from his wounds. Although DPD reported that several suspects are being sought in connection to this homicide, no further details have been disclosed.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Patty Belew at 214-422-9275 or [email protected].
Further to the south, closer to I-30, a woman was found shot inside a vehicle in the 500 block of South Carroll Avenue, which is also in District 2, on May 27. The victim, 23-year-old Tacara Nashay Reese-Windom, was taken to a hospital, where she died of her wounds. Her 5-month-old child had been found inside the car with her but appears not to have suffered any injuries.
This case is also still under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Jose Ortiz-Vives at 214-671-4310 or [email protected].
Although there has been plenty of buzz surrounding the recent year-to-date drop in homicides citywide after an alarming body count of 247 recorded last year, a murder has nonetheless occurred roughly every two days so far in 2024. According to data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard, 87 criminal homicides had been logged as of May 27. The vast majority of murder victims have been young black or Hispanic males.
Assault offenses continue to plague certain parts of Dallas, including its downtown area, as recently covered in The Dallas Express. Although District 2 has seen just seven murders — down three compared to 2023 — so far this year, it has already logged 690 reports of assault, not to mention 710 reports of motor vehicle theft and 576 drug violations.
Downtown Dallas remains a hot spot for crime amid a significant officer shortage. DPD fields around 3,000 police officers, yet a City report previously recommended that a city with the population size of Dallas have as many as 4,000 to ensure public safety.
This shortfall will likely persist because of City leaders budgeting DPD just $654 million this fiscal year, less than the spending levels seen in other high-crime cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Downtown Dallas experiences far more criminal activity than neighboring Fort Worth’s city center, which is patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit and private security guards.