A disturbance call led to a police shooting at a homeless encampment in northern Dallas Friday night, resulting in the death of the suspect.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Cody Watkins, 34, as the man police said moved toward them with a knife in a wooded area behind apartments near White Rock Creek in Council Member Jaynie Schultz’s District 11.
“I’m surprised at the fact that it is this area,” Robin Flashing, a 26-year-old resident of the Rock Creek Apartments, told The Dallas Morning News. “This is a first for it — for me at least.”
Police initially responded to calls about a disturbance in the 5800 block of Belt Line Road. They encountered Watkins and a woman and suspected that Watkins had committed “aggravated assault family violence with a knife.”
“Officers located the suspect, along with a woman inside the tent in a wooded area. The suspect was holding a knife and officers talked with the suspect to get him to drop the weapon,” the Dallas Police Department (DPD) wrote on the department blog.
“The preliminary investigation determined the woman got out of the tent, and officers used less lethal to get the suspect to comply with their orders, but the suspect moved toward the officers with the knife in hand and officers fired, hitting him,” DPD continued.
Watkins was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. The unidentified woman was also transported to a hospital for medical treatment.
The investigation is ongoing.
Multiple 311 homeless service requests have been filed in the last 30 days to report homeless encampments in the White Rock Creek area, according to the City’s homeless service calls dashboard.
“I typically walk Preston Road from my address to Spring Valley and back down … they’ve made several comments to me and I don’t feel it is safe for folks, like me, who enjoy my exercise. Please have this removed,” wrote one resident about an area encampment.
“This location presents an ongoing hazard that includes propane tanks, open fires, sewage and trash. The current encampment includes numerous tents, clotheslines hanging from trees, stolen grocery carts and raided dumpsters. As soon as the problem is addressed, it immediately RETURNS,” wrote another resident reporting an encampment off Preston Road.
Data shows 1,001 homeless service requests were submitted over the last 30 days, and some 81 remain open as of June 30.
Polling conducted by The Dallas Express shows that roughly 75% of Dallas residents think homelessness, vagrancy, and aggressive panhandling are “major” problems in the City. Respondents also seem to be generally supportive of Haven for Hope’s “one-stop-shop” homeless services model in San Antonio. The model has been credited with a 77% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in San Antonio’s downtown area.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Supreme Court ruled on June 28 that municipalities can enforce ordinances meant to target unlawful homeless encampments.
“Most #homeless orgs are critical of the Supreme Court ruling about homelessness. Here is a different perspective,” Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) posted on X, linking to a City Journal article. “Also, last night a man was killed by @DallasPD as he held a woman hostage at their Preston & Beltline encampment in North Dallas.”