The first week of May has been deadly in Dallas. In the first six days of the month, five people were killed.
The week’s violence began in the early morning hours of May 3. At approximately 12:40 a.m., Dallas police responded to a shooting call in the 4600 block of Wimbelton Way, where two suspects — 17-year-old Yeremy Zapata Aleman and 20-year-old Keyner Calero Jiron — had followed a man in their car after an altercation at a business and opened fire on his vehicle.
The bullets didn’t find their intended target. Instead, they struck a pregnant woman, fatally wounding her unborn child. Both men were taken into custody at the scene and initially charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses. When the infant later died, prosecutors upgraded those charges to capital murder. Detective J. Morgan is leading that investigation, and anyone with information can call 214-425-9905.
Roughly two hours later, at approximately 2:50 a.m., Dallas police responded to a shooting call in the 2700 block of McKinney Avenue, where 35-year-old Jeronimo Avila had been shot by an unknown suspect who fled before officers arrived. Avila was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Detective R. Kramer at 214-671-3608.
Fast forward a few days to the night of May 5, into the early hours of May 6, which brought three more killings in quick succession. Around 10:25 p.m. on Prosperity Avenue, officers arrived to find a man who had been shot; he was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. No suspect has been identified. Detective J. Romero is handling the case at 214-671-4226.
Additionally, a confrontation inside a Deep Ellum business at 2800 Elm Street turned fatal when 26-year-old Joseph Gray, a security guard who stepped in to break up a fight, was shot by 23-year-old Detorius Tarver. Gray was transported to the hospital, where he later died. Tarver was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. Detective K. Sapon can be reached at 214-671-3602 for that case.
Before dawn that same morning, a fifth victim was shot in the 300 block of East 8th Street around 1:20 a.m. The unidentified individual was transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced deceased shortly after arrival. The suspect fled before police arrived and has not been identified. Detective J. Reed can be reached at 469-597-9332.
Five homicides. Six days. Victims range from an unborn child to a security guard.
Police have made arrests in two of the five cases; three investigations remain open with suspects still at large. Anyone with information on any of these cases is urged to contact the respective detectives above or reach out anonymously through Dallas Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS (8477).
Dallas Homicides: Where the Numbers Stand
According to the Dallas Police Department’s own end-of-year report, Dallas closed 2025 with 141 murders and non-negligent manslaughters – 43 fewer than the year before, a 23% drop. Violent crime as a whole followed the same direction, falling by more than 1,090 offenses, or about 12%, compared to 2024.
Thus far in 2026, the downward trend has continued. Dallas Police’s homicide report, updated on May 6, shows 48 murders and non-negligent manslaughters recorded year-to-date – compared to 53 at the same point last year. Of those 48 cases, 32 have been cleared by arrest, while 24 remain open.
