A murder suspect who allegedly shot a 25-year-old man in Dallas back in June was arrested in Greenville earlier this week.
According to the Dallas Police Department, Jermal Burrell, 28, was arrested on August 1 and charged with murder.
The shooting happened at around 8:30 p.m. on June 18. Officers arrived at the scene in the 3800 block of Wilder Street in Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7.
“The preliminary investigation determined the male victim got into an argument with an unknown suspect that turned physical, then the suspect shot him. Dallas Fire Rescue responded, and the victim died at the scene,” DPD reported on its crime blog at the time.
Burrell is currently being held in Hunt County jail on a bond of $1,040,000. In addition to the murder charge, he was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
According to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard, there have been 122 murders committed this year as of August 2. Of the 14 Dallas City Council districts, Bazaldua’s District 7 has seen the most murders at 24.
DPD has been struggling with staffing issues for several years now, a situation that has dampened its efforts to fight crime. Only around 3,000 sworn officers are currently in the field, despite a prior City analysis recommending a force of roughly 4,000 based on the Dallas’ population.
The Dallas City Council signed off on a budget of only $654 million for DPD this fiscal year, considerably less taxpayer money than spent on public safety in other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.