Neighbors of man killed in Red Bird shooting troubled by his death: "It's too close to home"
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — There is a mixture of relief and grief in a Red Bird-area neighborhood Thursday night.
According to Dallas police, the suspect accused in a weekend murder where the victims were tied up and shot is in custody in New Mexico. Twenty-eight-year-old Kayla Griffin will be brought back to North Texas to face a capital murder charge.
"I guess I won't see Mr. Johnson again, either" shared neighbor Dorothy Phelps.
She says the Johnsons—just up the street—were quiet, good neighbors, and that their adopted son was a gentle giant.
"He was sweet," said Phelps, who has lived in Woodland Canyon for some 50 years. "I had an episode in the yard, and I rolled down the hill and he came and picked me up...and [took] me in the house."
The memory spurs new tears, and anger. "Why? Why [did] they kill that boy...that young man? It had to be somebody that knew them to be in there."
Her tears reflect a troubled heart.
Dallas police were alerted to trouble at the home in the 900 block of Medalist Drive at about 11 a.m. Saturday morning. A wounded woman had escaped from the home and sought help from another neighbor.
According to police, "officers arrived and found a man who had been tied up, yelling for help." They also located another victim, Deleon Williams, 30, with his hands tied and shot.
He died at the scene.
Family friends were stunned. "He doesn't have the mindset to be in a bunch of trouble," insisted a woman who said her name was Chandra.
She says the Johnsons took Williams in when he was 3 years old. His adoptive mother died several years ago.
"He's never been in trouble," Chandra said. "It makes me think, what happened? Who would have killed him like that?"
Police said Griffin was arrested in Bloomfield, New Mexico, when a license plate reader flagged her vehicle as having been reported stolen.
"It's too close to home," shared Michael Dixon, who lives nearby. "It's too close to home."
News of the arrest brought relief to many in the wooded and well-established neighborhood. But many still have questions—primarily about the motive.
"I want to know what happened really," added Dixon. "Was it random or just a robbery or what?"
Griffin was known to the victims, police said, but declined to elaborate on how she knew them. They stress that the investigation is ongoing and have not ruled out additional arrests.
"It messed me up," said Dixon. "It's crazy."