Three murders in the last three days have brought the total number of homicides in Dallas this month to six, with the City on pace to exceed the dozen reported in November.
On Monday, at about 9 a.m., police responded to a call in the 4800 block of Gaston Avenue in Central Dallas, where they found a man who had been stabbed in the neck. Dallas Fire-Rescue transported the unidentified victim to the hospital, where he died.
A suspect, identified as 33-year-old Cleto Banda, was found near the scene and arrested. Banda was later charged with murder.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the case, documented under number 175429-2025, is asked to contact Detective J. Castillo at 214-671-4739 or [email protected].
On Saturday, two separate shooting incidents claimed the lives of two people.
On Saturday, a mass shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. in the Red Bird area of Dallas, in the 2900 block of West Wheatland Road, just outside the Verbazend Creations & Event Venue.
Investigators believe that one man opened fire after a fight broke out, striking five people. All five were transported to the hospital, where one victim, 33-year-old Joseph Primeaux, died, and another remains in critical condition. Three shooting victims were reported to be in stable condition.
Jesus Torres, 21, was arrested in connection with the case and has been charged with murder.
At about 10:20 that same evening, police responded to a shooting call in the 2700 block of Samuell Boulevard in East Dallas, where they found 26-year-old Christian Velasques Rosas injured at the scene. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
Investigators have identified a suspect and are preparing to submit a grand jury referral to the district attorney’s office. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective P. Wheeler at 214-671-3686 or at [email protected].
Other homicides reported this month include:
- December 4 — 800 block of Cade Road, (Victim: Jerome Wooten). No suspect has been identified.
- December 2 — 2100 block of West Ledbetter Drive ( Victim: Jerrian Jones). A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder.
- December 1 — 4000 Block of West Camp Wisdom Road ( Victim: Billy Brightman). A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder.
The Dallas Police Department’s efforts to combat violent crime continue to be hampered by a chronic shortage of police officers, and the City has yet to meet the standards mandated by Dallas voters through Proposition U, passed last year. The measure requires the City to maintain a police force of 4,000 sworn officers and to provide the force with a pay and benefits package that ranks among the top five in the metroplex for cities with populations over 50,000.
