As previously reported in The Dallas Express, violent crime was on the rise last month in City Councilman Adam Bazaldua’s district in South Dallas.
District 7 saw a significant uptick in Homicides, Robberies, and Assaults year-over-year in October under Bazaldua’s watch. Even though he was not named Crime Boss of the Month this go around, the councilman’s district has been suffering at the hands of violent criminals for too long.
The senseless murder of 21-year-old Asia Womack garnered the most attention from the media, including The Dallas Express, which covered the tragic incident that transpired on October 3, when a supposed “friend” of Womack’s allegedly shot her five times after she beat him in a game of basketball. Womack, a beloved youth ministry participant at Gospel Tabernacle Church, died of her wounds.
Dallas police arrested Cameron Hogg, 31, on October 20 once they had enough evidence to charge him with Womack’s murder.
Hogg is currently held in Dallas County Jail on a $1.8 million bond. However, it is unclear whether that amount will be reduced as in the case of accused capital murderer Bryce Jones.
Jones allegedly participated in a triple homicide but had his bail reduced and was placed under house arrest. He then reportedly cut off his electronic ankle monitor, and became a fugitive for roughly 24 hours earlier this month, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
According to jail records, Hogg is also being charged with violating probation and parole. If true, this means that Hogg committed a crime for which he was incarcerated, was paroled, and then apparently committed another crime for which he received probation. He then went on to allegedly murder Asia Womack.
Another murder occurred on October 16, when an unknown assailant in a dark-colored sedan fired a gun on S. Buckner Boulevard, striking 20-year-old motorist Eddie Lopez. Dallas Fire-Rescue took Lopez to an area hospital, but he did not survive.
Ari Avalos took to Facebook to lament Lopez’s death and express his hope that the killer would be held to account. Unfortunately, authorities have yet to identify a suspect.
Still, another killing occurred earlier that week when two juveniles stabbed 19-year-old Elijah White to death in a house in the 8400 block of Freeport Drive, just north of John West Road. The juveniles were taken into custody by police, but investigators have yet to press charges, believing the incident qualified as a justifiable homicide.
In addition to the tragic losses of life, violent armed robberies are also weighing on District 7’s communities. The Dallas Police Department shared with The Dallas Express two of the 18 incidents logged on the City of Dallas Open Data dashboard.
Late at night on October 5, a man drove to a 7-11 at the corner of S. Buckner Boulevard and Forney Road. As he was sitting in his car, two armed individuals — one with a pistol, the other with a rifle — removed him from the vehicle. The man was struck in the face with the pistol before the two suspects fled the scene in his car.
Later in the month, a suspect wearing a black ski mask robbed Uncle Lee Grocery on Dixon Avenue. The individual entered the store and pointed a firearm at the female cashier before demanding cash. The robber fled on foot with two other unidentified people. Luckily, no one was injured in this encounter.
The store is located in a neighborhood that has seen its fair share of the district’s crime trends. Two gunmen shot 20-year-old James Browning Jr. to death just a block down the street in 2019, which put the community on edge and prompted reflection among Browning’s neighbors.
Antonio Adams told WFAA back then, “It’s just short of getting to the point of being overwhelmed. To me, it’s just like, damn, man! Another one!”
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you. Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, according to data from the FBI’s UCR database.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.
