A man is in custody after allegedly attacking his own mother and shooting her two Oak Cliff neighbors who tried to render aid on Tuesday.
Marlon Perkins, 25, was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly shooting up a house in the 3900 block of Happy Canyon Drive near Paul Quinn College on the morning of December 19. He allegedly stole $900 from his mother and began assaulting her outside her home, as the mother’s boyfriend, Steven Anthony, revealed to Fox 4 KDFW.
The victim’s next-door neighbors rushed to her aid, thwarting the attack. Perkins allegedly left the scene, hurling threats, only to return a short time later.
“And the guy, he got the car, and he left. And 10 minutes later, he came back,” one of the neighbors, Salomon Pleitez, recalled. “And he [started] shooting [into] the house like a crazy guy.”
A dozen people were inside Pleitez’s home at the time. Perkins’ bullets allegedly struck both 12-year-old Nazareth Pleitez, Pleitez’s nephew, and 20-year-old Eliomar Morles, a friend of Pleitez, in the legs. They were treated at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
“I’m scared that he’s going to come and do the same thing,” Morles told Fox via a translator after leaving the hospital.
Perkins was booked into Dallas County jail on two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance, deadly conduct, unlawful possession of a firearm, and burglary assault. His bond was set at $255,000.
This is not Perkins’ first run-in with the law. He has prior convictions on charges of aggravated robbery, family violence assault, evading arrest, and the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The shooting incident occurred in District 8, which is represented by Council Member Tennell Atkins. Among other districts, it ranks as one of the highest in assault offenses behind District 7, District 4, and District 6. As of December 20, District 8 had logged 2,522 assaults out of a total of 25,125 clocked citywide, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Of the citywide total, 12,926 incidents were characterized as family violence.
Although the Dallas Police Department has waged a targeted campaign against violent crime, its efforts have been dampened by an ongoing staffing shortage. While DPD currently has only around 3,000 officers in the field, a City analysis suggested having as many as 4,000 within the ranks to adequately promote public safety.
This staffing shortfall is most apparent in Downtown Dallas, which logs considerably more crime than Fort Worth’s city center. For instance, a person is exposed to four times more assaults in the former. Meanwhile, the latter is patrolled by a dedicated police unit that works alongside private security guards.