4 Separate Pleasant Grove Shootings Leave Many Injured, 1 Dead
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Sunday evening into Monday morning was an especially violent time in parts of Dallas. Police officers swarmed the Pleasant Grove neighborhood as they worked four separate shootings.
One of those shootings is now a homicide investigation and at least two shootings are connected.
It was a violent two hours. The first call shooting was received about 10:30 Sunday night. When officers arrived at a home on the 1100 block of Galicia Lane they found the male homeowner laying dead in the doorway. Jose Nicolas Olivas Jr. had been shot several times.
Witnesses later told police that Danny Evelio Cruz had gone to the house looking for his ex-girlfriend. Although she was not there, the men began arguing and witnesses say Cruz shot and killed Olivas.
Less than 30 minutes later the second emergency call was received, reporting a shooting less than five miles away from the first scene. Two people were shot outside a convenience store in the 9500 block of Bruton Road. Neither of those victims had life threatening injuries.
Just an hour and ten minutes after the first shooting there was a third shooting. That incident, on Kittyhawk Lane, injured one person, who is expected to survive. Investigators believe the shooting at this location and the first one on Galicia Lane are related.
The fourth and final shooting in Pleasant Grove happened just after midnight. A person was shot and injured at an apartment complex on North Masters Road. The injuries the victim received were not life threatening.
Police are now working to find the perpetrators and their motives for the shootings.
The violence happens as the Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas police Chief David Brown work to combat a spike in crime. The leaders announced a new crime initiative just last week. The plan calls for a 170-officer crime task force and has officials in the city working with county; state and federal law enforcement to make sure the uptick in violence isn't a long-term problem.
"We must adapt to a changing environment with a sense of urgency," Chief David Brown said. "We have over 3400 cops in Dallas... 2400 of them work in the field and that group has produced 12-year decline in crime."
Chief Brown said the department plans to target high crime areas and use drug and gang task forces. But Mayor Rawlings pointed out that it might take more than reassigning some officers to curb the violence. "Crime is not just one department's issue. It's not one man's issue. It's not one Mayor's issue. It's not one council's issue. It really speaks to us as a city, including civilians and police officers."
Members of the Dallas Public Safety Committee say they expect the Chief or someone else from the Dallas Police Department to address a flurry of overnight shootings at a meeting today. The new crime initiative is not on the safety committee's agenda, but members say they expect someone from DPD to explain why so much violence happened in such a small area in just two hours time.
Meanwhile, police have issued a murder arrest warrant for Danny Evelio Cruz. Anyone with information about the Pleasant Grove shootings or knows the whereabouts of Cruz is asked to contact the Dallas police homicide at 214-671-3584 or call Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of Cruz.
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