A Dallas teen accused of murder allegedly testified that a deadly shootout with two teens broke out over an illicit gun sale gone wrong.
Obbie Perez, 17, allegedly told Dallas police that the deaths of two 15-year-olds outside the Mountain Creek Branch library on December 30 were due to one of them attempting to purchase an AR-15 using counterfeit cash, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, officers responding to the scene located in District 3, which is represented by Council Member Zarin D. Gracey, at around 5:30 p.m. found Angel Solis and Elijah Martinez shot. While Solis died at the scene, Martinez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he eventually succumbed to his wounds.
Perez reportedly said that he drove Martinez to the library in order to buy the AR-15 rifle from Solis, which Martinez tried to pay for using fake money. When Solis realized this, both he and Martinez allegedly fired at one another.
Prior to calling 911, Perez allegedly hid a Glock 9mm pistol with a Glock switch — an illegal device that makes the gun into an automatic rather than semi-automatic weapon. He allegedly surrendered a different handgun to the responding authorities.
Police arrested Perez, who was initially regarded as a witness to the shooting, on January 12. He was booked into the Dallas County jail on capital murder charges in lieu of a $2 million bond.
The murder rate in Dallas spiked by 15% in 2023 compared to the previous year, with data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard showing that the overwhelming majority of these victims were black and Hispanic.
A total of 10 homicides have already been reported in 2024 as of January 17, suggesting that the murder rate is keeping pace with last year amid a crippling officer shortage at the Dallas Police Department.
DPD fields roughly 3,000 officers despite a City report recommending 4,000 to ensure public safety. Meanwhile, City officials budgeted just $654 million for DPD this year, which is considerably less than other high-crime municipalities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Comparative studies on Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth’s downtown area have shown a considerable disparity in crime. The former consistently logs more offenses, while the latter is patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit working alongside private security guards.
