Dallas police arrested an 18-year-old on a capital murder charge in the South Crowdus Street shooting that killed three people during Deep Ellum’s Halloween celebrations, Chief Daniel Comeaux said at a news conference on Thursday.
Police identified the suspect as Justin Murdock. Comeaux announced the arrest on November 12 and said officers took Murdock into custody late Tuesday. He faces a charge of capital murder of multiple persons.
The arrest concerns the last of three separate shootings that struck the entertainment district early on November 1. Police counted four deaths and 15 injuries across the three scenes.
Comeaux said witness accounts, surveillance footage and photographs helped detectives identify Murdock, according to the police briefing. He also credited Deep Ellum businesses and their cameras with helping investigators.
Police described a confrontation involving a group of girls before the Crowdus Street gunfire. Investigators continue to examine what happened and seek additional witnesses and video.
The charge represents an allegation. Murdock is presumed innocent unless a court establishes his guilt.
Three separate shootings
Dallas police identified the people who died in the Crowdus Street shooting as Anthony Martin, 25, Unique Benjamin, 28, and Kaniesa Scott, 21. Officers responded to that shooting in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street at approximately 1:35 a.m.
The first shooting, around 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street, killed Isaiah Boling, 20. In a November 10 update, police requested help identifying three persons of interest seen leaving the scene shortly after that shooting.
A separate shooting at approximately 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street injured seven people.
Earlier charges and federal response
As The Dallas Express previously reported, authorities charged David Dashaun Yancy in connection with the Main Street shooting. He surrendered November 4 and faces seven state counts of aggravated assault in a mass shooting.
Federal prosecutors announced November 5 that they had charged Yancy by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Deputy Chief Stephen Williams said at the news conference that more arrests are expected in the coming days. Chief Comeaux said his department has been working around the clock to bring the three shooting cases to a resolution.
That case followed the November 2 launch of Operation Deep Cover, a coordinated federal, state, and local effort targeting violent crime and illegal firearms in Dallas entertainment and commercial corridors, The Dallas Express reported.
Anyone with information about the shootings can contact Sgt. Boz Rojas at 214-671-3598 or [email protected].
