Police say an argument preceded the gunfire on Crowdus Street, where the deadliest of three shootings took place.
By Chase Rogers,Staff Writer
Dallas police said Thursday they had arrested a man in connection with the deadliest of three Halloween weekend shootings in Deep Ellum.
The shooting, in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street, was the last of three in the entertainment district early Nov. 1. Together, the shootings left four people dead and more than a dozen injured.
Officers arrested Justin Murdock, 18, late Tuesday after police say investigators identified him through witness statements, technology and video and photo evidence.
He faces a charge of capital murder of multiple people and was held Thursday in the Dallas County jail without bond. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney.
Murdock’s arrest is the latest development in the investigation into three shootings that unfolded within roughly 75 minutes of one another in one of the city’s best known entertainment districts.
The violence sparked community meetings in the neighborhood and City Council members asking what preventive measures could be taken.
Anthony Tyrone Martin, 25; Unique Benjamin, 28; and Kaniesa Scott, 21, were killed in the Crowdus Street shooting.
There appeared to be an argument between Murdock and others that preceded the shooting, Deputy Chief William Griffith said Thursday during a news conference at Jack Evans Police Headquarters. Among those attending the news conference was Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and council member Jesse Moreno, whose district includes Deep Ellum.
Martin was in a vehicle at the time, while Benjamin and Scott were bystanders who were caught in the gunfire, Griffith said. Five other people were injured in the shooting. One remains hospitalized.
Murdock’s arrest marked the second police have announced in connection with the shootings.
Police said David Yancy, 31, turned himself in to authorities Nov. 4. He was arrested in connection with a shooting on Main Street that injured seven people. He faces seven counts of aggravated assault as part of a mass shooting.
Yancy also faces a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, part of a broader federal effort launched after the Halloween shootings.
Dallas police Chief Daniel Comeaux reiterated his request Thursday for the public to send tips to the department regarding the shootings.
He said homicide detectives are working “nonstop” on the cases, but members of the public may have “one piece or that one picture that is going to finish putting this puzzle together.”
The department released edited surveillance footage Tuesday linked to the Elm Street shooting — the first of the three that night — showing three people jogging on a sidewalk. The department asked for the public’s help identifying them.
The man killed at the Elm Street shooting was identified as Isaiah Boling, 20.
This article has been updated throughout with information from a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Public Safety Reporter
Chase Rogers covers the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire-Rescue, and broader public safety issues in Dallas. He grew up in Granbury and studied journalism at Texas State University in San Marcos. Before joining The News, he reported for the Austin American-Statesman and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. His work has earned investigative reporting and Freedom of Information awards, including Texas Managing Editor’s Star Reporter of the Year in 2022. He can be reached at 361-239-6527 and on Signal at crogers.95.
