Two teenagers are dead after a shooting at an apartment in Arlington on Saturday night, and police are still searching for the suspects in the case.
Police responded to reports of gunfire at about 10:20 p.m. on November 23 at the Stadium 700 apartments complex, located in the 600 block of Slaughter Street near AT&T Stadium, reported Fox 4 KDFW. Witnesses told investigators that they heard gunshots and then saw a group of people run from an apartment, get into a vehicle, and leave the scene.
Inside the apartment, officers found a 19-year-old male and an 18-year-old female in the living room, both of whom had been shot multiple times. The male victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene. The female victim, identified as Alexis Tyler of Mesquite, was transported to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, where she died from her injuries about an hour after her arrival, per WFAA.
Neither victim lived at the apartment complex.
Police said the 18-year-old man had rented the unit through a short-term rental site.
The Arlington Police Department is continuing its investigation into the shooting. Police reportedly recovered multiple shell casings at the scene of the shooting and are seeking additional evidence, witnesses, or any relevant surveillance video. Investigators have stated that they do not believe that robbery was the motive for the shooting.
Anyone with information pertaining to the shooting is urged to call Detective Dixon at (817) 459-5579 or leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at (817) 469-8477.
In nearby Dallas, 161 homicides have been reported so far this year as of November 24, according to the City of Dallas Crime Analytics dashboard. Although the Dallas Police Department has been focused on reducing violent crime, it has been hindered in its efforts by a chronic shortage of police officers and a limited budget. The department currently has about 3,100 officers, far short of the City’s 2015 recommendation of 4,000 officers.
Proposition U, one of the HERO amendments to the City charter passed in the general election earlier this month, mandates that the City maintain a police force of at least 4,000 officers and redirect 50% of excess annual City revenue toward hitting that goal.
The current DPD budget of $710.77 million is far less than that of other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.