Trackdown: Help find the Trinity Groves Christmas night shooter

DALLAS - A 26-year-old man was shot and killed on Christmas night in the Trinity Groves neighborhood in West Dallas.

Detectives don't know if he was hit by random gunfire or was the intended target.

No one bothered to help the victim. People were too busy taking videos on their phones.

Trinity Groves Shooting

What we know:

The shooting happened in the 3600 block of Gulden Lane in Trinity Groves.

"On Christmas night, around 10-11 o’clock, Mr. (Elliot) Jimenez and his friend came here to the park. It was open, and they parked," explained Dallas Police Det. Cayce Shelton. A lot of people were hanging out. There were a lot of people hanging out, and it was a quiet night until a couple of gunshots were heard."

The detective says Jimenez and his friend then decided to leave.

"So they leave. And as they’re pulling out, Mr. Jimenez comes across, he sees a female on the passenger side of the vehicle," said Shelton. "And he stops, rolls the windows down, and he's speaking in Spanish to her."

Jimenez was driving away but stopped after something hit his vehicle and got out.

"He stopped to talk to the female, and then his friend here’s a gunshot or two," said Shelton. "Mr. Jimenez didn’t return to the vehicle. So the friend walked back and finds Mr. Jimenez on the ground, suffering from a gunshot wound."

The detective says they were not the only ones out at Trinity Groves that night.

"Matter of fact, Mr. Jimenez's friend says when he found Mr. Jimenez, there were several people recording on their phone; not helping him but recording."

Detectives are interested in a dark-colored car that drives with lights off after the shooting and a white van that slow rolls out of the parking lot. For now, they are only vehicles of interest.

What we don't know:

Investigators aren’t sure if Jimenez was the intended target or the victim of a random act of violence. 

"I don't know whether it was random, whether it was an intentional murder, or if there was an altercation that occurred between Mr. Jimenez and our unknown suspect," said Shelton.

Police do not have a suspect description. It’s unclear how many people were involved in the shooting. 

Police also don’t know who was in the dark-colored car and white van or if or how they were involved in the shooting.

What they're saying:

"Based on my experience, plenty of people know what happened," said Shelton.

"How much does it bother you that, ‘I'm shot, laying here. People are recording and not helping me?’" asked FOX 4 Reporter Shuan Rabb.

"It used to shock me, but I’ve been doing this a while," said Shelton. "It saddens me more than it shocks me now."

What you can do:

Investigators are urging anyone with any information or videos of the shooting to contact them.

Det. Shelton can be reached by phone call or text at (214)283-4900 or by email at c.shelton@dallaspolice.gov.