Dallas police officials confirmed that three people were killed and two others were also shot in the incident.
DALLAS — Three people were killed and two were injured in a shooting in far north Dallas early Friday, Jan. 6, police confirmed to WFAA.
Police responded around 4:30 a.m. to the shooting at the Landmark On The Valley Apartments at Spring Valley Road and Esperanza Road.
Dallas police officials confirmed that three people were killed and two others were also shot in the incident.
At a news conference, a police spokesperson said one of the victims was a man and one was a woman.
One of the injured victims was taken to a hospital in critical condition and one was in stable condition. Both of the injured victims are men.
Police said the victims were gathered in a back parking lot at the apartment complex in the 8500 block of Lazy Acres Circle when the shooting happened. Detectives did not believe the shooting was random, though more information about a possible motive was not released.
Police later said they identified the suspect as Evin Geovanny Mata-Guzman, 25, and that he has not yet been caught. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Watch the full update from police:
A family member said one of the victims was Stanley Chachagua, 23.
“They called us early this morning and told us he had passed away,” the family member told WFAA.
She said he along with some of his family immigrated here six years ago from El Salvador. She begged whoever did this to turn themselves in.
“If they have a conscious and if his parents know about him. I want them to turn him in. There are three people dead and he needs to turn himself in for what he did…if he has a heart,” said the family member.
On Sunday, Dallas police confirmed that Chaghagua was one of the of victims along with 29-year-old Queidin Flores. The third victim was identified as 31-year-old Cesar Aaron Birrueta-Soto.
“Where individuals were gathering there is evidence of drug use and one of the individuals opened fire on the group they were around,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
Garcia wants to assure the public the shooting is not random.
“I will say first of all being involved in illicit activity is no reason to lose your life although placing yourself in that type of situation has lent itself to the majority of our murders. They are people involved in these types of illegal activity,” said Garcia.
Garcia said the department has now made the apartment complex one of its target zones and will add more officers to the area. He said there is concern city-wide with five murders since Jan. 1.
“We just had a meeting this morning as to how we are going to address the area in the immediate future,” said Garcia.
Police towed a Jeep from the scene to process evidence.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective Chad Murphy at 214-283-4934 or chad.murphy@dallascityhall.com.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information called into Crime Stoppers that leads to the arrest and indictment for this felony offense and other felony offenses. Call Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS (8477), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This case is being documented as number 003132-2023.