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Arrest Affidavit: Catcalls Sparked Deep Ellum Halloween Shooting That Killed 3, Including 2 Bystanders
Dallas police arrested 18-year-old Justin Murdock for capital murder after an affidavit revealed that a confrontation over catcalls on Halloween night led to a shooting that killed three people, two of them innocent bystanders. The violence was part of a broader wave of shootings in Deep Ellum that left four dead and at least 15 injured.
DALLAS â An arrest affidavit has revealed that a deadly Halloween night shooting in Deep Ellum that killed three people, including two innocent bystanders, began with catcalls. Dallas police on Thursday announced the arrest of 18-year-old Justin Murdock on a charge of capital murder of multiple persons.
According to the affidavit, the confrontation started when 25-year-old Anthony Martin, riding in the passenger seat of a car stuck in traffic near the intersection of Clover and Crowdus streets, leaned out the window and made catcalls toward two women crossing the street. Murdock was walking with the women and a group of other males. Witnesses told detectives that Murdock then fired a handgun modified to fire automatically at the car. One witness said the driver of the car also pulled out a gun.
Martin was killed in the gunfire. The shots also struck several bystanders who were not involved in the confrontation. Unique Benjamin, 28, and Kaniesa Scott, 21, were killed. Several others were injured, and one person remains hospitalized.
Detectives identified Murdock through witness statements, surveillance video, and cellphone photos taken that night, including descriptions of his distinctive clothing and shoes, according to the affidavit. It is not yet clear whether any of the other males walking with Murdock or the driver of the car will face charges.
The Crowdus Street shooting was one of three separate shootings in Deep Ellum on Halloween night. In total, four people were killed and at least 15 others were injured. The first shooting occurred around 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street, where 20-year-old Isaiah Boling was killed. A second shooting followed at about 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street, and the third was reported at roughly 1:35 a.m. in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street.
David Yancy surrendered to police after a public appeal aired video of a man who police said injured seven people in the Main Street shooting. Treyvion Demby was arrested on federal gun charges for also displaying a weapon on Main Street. Three persons of interest have been identified in connection with the Elm Street shooting, and police are still searching for them.
"We still have videos coming in, but weâre getting a pretty good idea of putting a full puzzle together," Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said at a Thursday news conference. "And every time we put another piece of the puzzle together that can lead to an arrest. Weâre going to go pick them up."
Police are asking anyone who witnessed a shooting or who may recognize the persons of interest captured on video on Elm Street to contact Sgt. Boz Rojas with the Dallas Police Department at boz.rojas@dallaspolice.gov or (214) 671-3598.