Public safety meeting held for Dallas district dealing with rise in violent crime

DALLAS - A woman was shot and killed as she was getting out of her car in Dallas Wednesday afternoon. That happened as the city councilwoman who represents the area was meeting about crime in her district.

The woman was found just before 1 p.m., in the 1300 block of Baden Street, not far from the Dallas Zoo.

The victim's identity has not been released, police have only said that she was in her 40s.

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Officers at the scene said information they got from a witness right after the shooting was crucial to finding a person of interest.

“Our homicide response team responded immediately,” Dallas PD Sgt. Warren Mitchell said. “Officers stopped a vehicle, and that's police and community working as one.”

Dallas City Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold went to the crime scene when she heard the news.

She was at a meeting discussing violent crime in her district.

Wednesday's murder is exactly what the councilwoman and others are desperately trying to stop.

With violent crime on the rise in the southern sector of Dallas, Arnold said her district is under siege.

“We are going to continue to stress that if they see something, they need to say something,” Arnold said.

Arnold had just concluded a meeting with police and community leaders to discuss disturbing southern sector crime statistics, before heading to the scene of a yet another murder in her district, District 4.

“People, we are in a state of emergency,” she said.

Her district is the second highest in violent crime in Dallas.

The south central patrol division covers most of District 4, and is now the target of Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall, who wants to reduce violent crime there this year by 10 percent.

“Let’s work on our little people and find a way to keep them alive and give them a chance,” Danny Lawson said.

Lawson is retired from DPD, and used to live in District 4.

He now talks to youth, many with incarcerated parents.

“I'm tired of our people dying, tired of our kids dying. I’m so afraid if we don’t watch out, we are going to lose another generation of young people,” he added.

Cynthia Johnson, a minister at The Way Fellowship Church on Polk Street, told city leaders that more needs to be done to address housing conditions.

“Our church works, I mean, hands-on with the neighborhood,” she said. “We go into the apartment complex. We know what's going on there.”

Arnold said she believes neighborhood patrol officers will continue to play a key part in curtailing crime.

“It also fosters hope and trust, and I think that's what it’s going to take for folks to pick up the phone and call when they hear the gunshots. They are going to pick up the phone when they see suspicious behaviors,” she said.

And that's exactly what unfolded on Baden Street on Wednesday. Police were able to locate a person of interest because a witness called it in.

“This is the first step in taking back our community. You must make the call,” Arnold added.

Arnold, who is also the vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, said she's ready to hear from Chief Hall next week about her new crime prevention plan.