A random and deadly shooting spree struck near Fair Park on Monday, leaving one dead and three injured.
Savannah Rodriguez, 19, was killed instantly when she answered the door of her townhome and came face to face with a gunman at around 2 p.m. on September 25.
“The gunman opened fire right directly, right at her,” her uncle Martin Ramirez told CBS News Texas. He further explained that Savannah’s mother and boyfriend were then shot and wounded.
A witness reportedly spotted the gunman leaving the home in the 1300 block of Beulah Place shortly after and heading to the 4800 block of Elsie Faye Heggins Street.
Patricia Asberry recounted to CBS News, “He was running with two guns in his hands, he stopped and looked at me and my son in the car, he paused for a minute. He kind of raised [the guns] … but he didn’t point them straight at us, he let them down.”
The gunman then got inside his vehicle and drove to a nearby self-service car wash, where he reportedly shot another man.
The three victims shot after Rodriguez have since been taken to Baylor University Medical Center and are expected to recover from their injuries.
Although a citywide manhunt was swiftly launched, Dallas police reported that a suspect, Jeremiah Moore, 27, was arrested later that same day over 250 miles away in Donley County in the Panhandle.
He faces charges of one count of murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
The investigation is still ongoing, but no motive has been suggested for what appears to have been random acts of violence.
Nonetheless, the shooting incident has raised security concerns for the area, considering that the State Fair of Texas will open its gates to millions of attendees in just a few days.
Just north of Fair Park last weekend, there was another lethal shooting in which a 2-year-old was shot dead during a birthday party, as covered in The Dallas Express.
For witness Asberry, gun violence is becoming a regular occurrence in Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7.
“This is nothing new because we have this over here all the time,” she told CBS.
Responding to these concerns, the Dallas Police Department reassured the public of its commitment to maintaining security, especially around Fair Park.
“We continue to monitor data, crime trends, and use all information gathered to make adjustments to our crime plan and patrol as needed,” DPD told CBS News. “There are additional patrols already being added to the area around Fair Park during the State Fair.”
At the same time, DPD has been laboring against an officer shortage, with just 3,200 sworn officers in service. This is despite a City report previously indicating that a force of 4,000 was needed to provide adequate policing to Dallas.
Polls conducted by The Dallas Express this summer showed that over half of the city’s residents felt unsafe in public areas. An overwhelming majority of 91.5% also said they believed there were not enough officers on patrol.
In neighboring Fort Worth, the city center is patrolled with a dedicated police unit and private security guards. It also sees considerably less crime than Downtown Dallas, especially in terms of auto theft, burglary, and assault, as previously covered in The Dallas Express.
