Dallas, Texas – A 16-year-old Dallas ISD student was shot on Halloween day, just yards away from his school campus. The alleged gunman, 19-year-old Edgar Dominguez, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, remained at large for nine days before his arrest.
The incident unfolded at Cole Park in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas. Kimberly Navarro, a parent of a student at North Dallas High School, shared her daughter’s experience. Her daughter heard the shooting while on a school athletic field and immediately ran for help.
“I actually came right away,” Navarro said. “She was scared. She was really scared.”
According to the Dallas police, the shooting occurred near the tennis courts at Cole Park, which is just a few feet away from the school property. It happened at about 3:50 in the afternoon, just before the school’s dismissal time at 4:30 p.m.
The arrest affidavit reveals that the 16-year-old victim and his girlfriend were near the tennis court, hugging. Dominguez, the alleged shooter and the girl’s ex-boyfriend, approached them. He pointed “a tan handgun at the victim’s head” while inquiring if he was with the girl. The victim remained silent, but Dominguez “lowered the gun” and shot him “once on his left foot.”
The incident has left the community deeply concerned about the safety of students in the area. Parents and residents are calling for increased vigilance and awareness.
“It needs to get better. It really does. The things that are going on around here, parents really need to open their eyes up to know their kids, be more active, and see something, say something,” said Pennie Polk, a concerned member of the community.
Following the shooting, the victim’s girlfriend identified Dominguez as the shooter. Investigators used a Flock camera to identify the vehicle Dominguez used to flee the scene. He was eventually arrested on November 9, nearly ten days after the incident.
Since November 15, Dallas ISD has been working to provide information about the incident. The district confirmed that Dominguez is not a Dallas ISD student. They also stated that “standard communication was shared about the incident with families at that school.”
The shooting at Cole Park on Halloween is not the first such incident involving Dallas ISD students in the area. In January, a different Dallas ISD student was shot in the leg at Cole Park during a fight. These incidents have raised concerns among parents and the community about the safety of students in the vicinity of the park and the school.
“It was just really scary,” Navarro emphasized.
Loletha Miller, another Dallas ISD parent, expressed her concerns, saying, “That really worries me.”
As the community grapples with these incidents, the safety of students remains a top priority for both parents and school officials.
