DALLAS, TEXAS — A 24-year-old man in Dallas walked into a house and shot five people point-blank, resulting in the death of a toddler and three adults. According to the Dallas Police Department, officers responded to a shooting in the 9700 block of Royce Drive at about 4:20 p.m. on Sunday, December 3.
The suspect allegedly allegedly knew and killed four people late Sunday afternoon and injured another. He was supposed to be wearing an ankle monitor due to a previous aggravated assault charge, but at some point immediately before or after the shooting, he cut off the monitor. Police stated that he fled in a stolen car but fatally shot himself as highway patrol officers pursued him.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the bodies of three adults: 20-year-old Vanessa De la Cruz, 33-year-old Karina Lopez, and 50-year-old Jose Lopez. Additionally, two children were injured, a 15-year-old girl and 1-year-old Logan De La Cruz. A 13-year-old girl was also present in the home at the time of the shooting but remained unharmed.
Police reported that the teenage girl was treated and released, but the toddler succumbed to injuries at the hospital. A sister of Karina Lopez and aunt of Vanessa De la Cruz mourned the loss, stating, "It hasn’t sunk in, I mean I wish they were still here but I can't believe they're not."
The aunt mentioned that her other nieces witnessed the shootings inside the home, expressing, "They're broken-hearted, traumatized, because they saw what happened." She further noted that Karina Lopez had five daughters, two of whom were not home during the incident.
Late on Sunday, Dallas Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Byron Carrillo. Police officials have yet to confirm a motive for the brutal murders or establish any connection between the victims and the suspected shooter.
The family of the victims claimed that Carrillo had a history of violence with Vanessa before their one-year-old son was born. Carrillo lived next door, and the aunt explained, "My niece was tired of it, so she moved in here, to my sister and brother-in-law's house," referencing a recent move days ago.
Family Murdered
(Credit: Law Officer)
"The baby’s father always threatened the family, saying that 'someday they would be killed,'" the aunt disclosed. She added, "It’s not the first time there have been guns pointed their way before that."
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, state troopers received information that Carrillo was possibly traveling south on I-35 in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, a trooper spotted a vehicle matching the description and attempted to initiate a stop.
The driver refused to pull over, attempting to escape but ultimately crashing into a ditch near exit 238 in North Austin. DPS reported that Carrillo fled from the crash and sought refuge behind a business on the southbound access road. It was there that he stopped in a parking lot and fatally shot himself in the head, as explained by Dallas Police.
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