Two separate murders were committed on the same street in Dallas just hours apart this weekend.
Dallas police are investigating the deaths of a 16-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man in different incidents on Southern Oaks Boulevard in South Oak Cliff on Friday night.
Officers were first dispatched to the area shortly before 9 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting in the 3300 block. They found the teenage victim, Trelynn Derrion Henderson, and transported him to a nearby hospital, where he died of gunshot wounds.
A few hours later, just after 2 a.m., a request for service came in and police were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Southern Oaks Boulevard. Officers discovered the body of an adult victim, Victor Taylor Jr.
Although Dallas police reported that Taylor’s cause of death is “unexplained” pending further investigation, a homicide case has been opened, according to NBC 5 DFW. His door had reportedly been smashed in and neighbors had heard gunshots.
“I always hear gunshots, but I’m not getting up looking, you know,” said Patricia Smith, who heard several shots the night of Taylor’s death, according to NBC 5. “But that’s happening over here all the time.”
Detective Timothy Johnston is investigating both incidents, although it is unclear whether they are connected. If anyone has any information about either case, they are urged to reach out to Johnston at 214-671-3523 or [email protected].
Both homicides occurred in Council Member Carolyn King Arnold’s District 4, which has logged 130 violent crime offenses — five of which were murders — this year as of March 3, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. A total of 37 homicides have been clocked citywide, with the vast majority of victims being black or Hispanic males. Their median age was 25 years old.
The efforts of the Dallas Police Department (DPD) to curb violent crime have been dampened by chronic staffing woes. There are roughly 3,000 officers in the field, yet a City report recommended a force of 4,000 officers in order to adequately address public safety needs in a city the size of Dallas.
Nonetheless, City leaders recently opted to spend considerably less taxpayer money on police than their counterparts in other high-crime cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. DPD will dispose of a $654 million budget this fiscal year.
The effects of the chronic shortfall in police resources have regularly been reflected in monthly reports produced by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association. For instance, while comparing crime in Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth’s city center in January, it found that roughly 24 times more auto thefts and six times more assaults occurred in the former. The latter is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security officers.