New details are emerging in the shooting death of a man last month in East Dallas who was changing a flat tire on his vehicle.
Evidence points to a premeditated murder plot.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting of 22-year-old Alexis Fernando Estrada Zambrano on October 26 in the 3300 block of Dilido Road.
According to a police affidavit, 18-year-old Jason Steven and two juveniles, aged 15 and 16, plotted to kill Zambrano over “past problems and altercations.” One of the suspects told police that “a plan was made by [Steven] to get [Zambrano] alone in order for the accomplice to kill him.”
Police said they believe Steven called Zambrano for a ride and notified the two juvenile accomplices of their location when Zambrano’s vehicle got a flat tire.
The 15-year-old juvenile reportedly changed his mind about following through on the shooting, and the 16-year-old is allegedly the person who pulled the trigger, killing Zambrano.
Neither of the juveniles has been publicly identified because of their age.
Zambrano was shot in the face and pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows Zambrano and three others parked on the side of the road as Zambrano works to change the vehicle’s back passenger-side tire at around 3:40 a.m., per the police affidavit.
At about 4:11 a.m., the 16-year-old approaches Zambrano and engages in a brief altercation with him. Then Zambrano falls to the ground, the video shows. The 16-year-old hands the gun to Steven, and three persons run away from the scene.
All three suspects have been charged with murder, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
Steven is reportedly in the country illegally and is on immigration hold in the Dallas County jail.
So far this year, 158 murders and non-negligent manslaughter cases have been reported in Dallas, according to the City of Dallas Crime Analytics dashboard. While the Dallas Police Department has been actively focused on reducing violent crime in the City, it has been hampered in its efforts by a chronic shortage of police officers. The department currently fields about 3,100 officers, far short of the City’s 2015 recommendation of 4,000 officers.
Proposition U, one of the HERO amendments to the City charter passed in the general election earlier this month, mandates that the City maintain a police force of at least 4,000 officers and redirect 50% of excess annual City revenue toward hitting that goal.
The current DPD budget of $654 million is far less than that of other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
