Dallas police have issued a murder warrant for a 17-year-old suspect who is alleged to have killed a female victim of the same age.
Ikea Imari Hood, 17, was found by officers responding to a shooting call in the 700 block of Grambling Drive at 10:40 a.m. on January 7. Hood, a student and drill team member at Lancaster High School, died at the scene of an apparent gunshot wound.
“Her death represents a great loss for our district, and we are providing counseling and grief services for students and staff members impacted by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her entire family and the Lancaster High School community,” the school said in a statement amid the news of Hood’s death, according to CBS News Texas.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, Trevon Darnell Wright, 17, has been identified as a suspect in Hood’s killing. No further information was provided by Dallas police, such as a possible motive or the relationship between Hood and Wright.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Andrew Knoebel at 469-849-3755 or [email protected].
The new year has been off to a deadly start in Dallas, with six homicides already logged as of January 7, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. The latest incident occurred in Council Member Tennell Atkins’ District 8, which saw 42 of the 246 murders clocked last year.
The murder rate crept up by 15% between 2022 and 2023 despite the best efforts of the Dallas Police Department, as previously covered in The Dallas Express. DPD has been chronically understaffed, with only about 3,000 officers serving on the force, whereas a City analysis found that Dallas, based on population size, required around 4,000 officers to ensure public safety.
Downtown Dallas has been bearing the brunt of this manpower issue. It regularly logs higher rates of crime — from motor theft to assaults — when compared to the city center of neighboring Fort Worth. Downtown Fort Worth is patrolled by private security guards and a special police unit.