A 46-year-old man was shot and later died of his wounds after an incident in Uptown Dallas on Wednesday night.
A blog post by the Dallas Police Department states that officers responded to a call around 5 p.m. about a shooting victim near the 2200 block of McKinney Avenue, which is a strip mall containing a Wells Fargo bank, Smashburger, as well as other restaurants and retail locations.
The victim, identified as Roderick Butler, was found by Dallas Fire-Rescue on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound.
Butler was transported to a local hospital by first responders and later died due to his injuries.
According to the DPD press release, the suspected shooter fled the scene and ran through parking lots toward Maple Ave.
A statement from Wells Fargo sent to CBS News Texas states that the business is “aware of a situation that took place near our Mckinney Avenue Branch,” adding that they will be “cooperating with the appropriate authorities in the investigation.”
The victim’s mother, Tonie Butler, told CBS that the loss of her son came not long after the death of her husband. She explained that Butler was kind, gentle, and loved to go for walks, and she could not imagine why he would have been targeted.
“I would love to know the answer,” she said.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Those with any information are asked to contact Det. Swanson at 469-934-5776 or [email protected].
This incident, which occurred in Council Member Paul Ridley’s District 14, comes amidst a year of high crime for the city. As of December 21, 239 murders have been logged, marking a year-over-year increase of 13.8%, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard.
Dallas currently has approximately 3,000 police officers on duty despite a City analysis stating that roughly 4,000 officers would be needed to manage crime effectively.
Compared to Fort Worth’s city center, Downtown Dallas, which has been especially impacted by the staffing shortage, has significantly more crime. To lower crime rates in its downtown area, Fort Worth deployed a specialized police unit that patrols alongside private security guards.