Man arrested for Uptown Dallas murder connected to at least two other shootings
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas - A man arrested for the murder of an Army veteran in Uptown Dallas last week may have shot two more people while he was on the run.
Corey Antwon Thompson is now in jail, charged with murder in the death of Roderick Butler.
There are at least two other shootings this convicted violent criminal is possibly connected to. At least one appears to be random.
The 45-year-old is accused of using a rifle to kill a man off McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas on December 20.
Uptown Dallas shooting suspect arrested, charged with murder
Police have arrested a suspect accused of shooting and killing a man in Uptown Dallas last week.
Now, Thompson is connected to two additional shootings, and one of them is a murder.
Both took place during the six days Thompson was on the run.
"Balch Springs Police Department is going to name Corey Thompson as a suspect," Balch Springs PD PIO Pedro Gonzalez said.
Balch Springs police said a white Lincoln SUV registered to Thompson rolled up on a vehicle on Christmas morning and opened fire. The man in the driver’s seat, identified as Francisco Jesus Manriquez, was shot several times in the head. His female passenger was not injured.
"During the time of the shooting, she ducked down," Gonzalez said.
Here’s what she told police.
"All of a sudden, this Lincoln pulls up and he starts firing into the vehicle without saying any words, without making any interaction or any communication," Gonzalez explained. "It was just a random shooting. We know for a fact that it wasn’t pertaining from a road rage incident or from a robbery. It was just a random shooting."
Five days before, on December 20, Dallas police said Thompson shot and killed Butler.
At the time, police believed the shooting was isolated.
"There’s not a danger to the public, this is isolated, and he was targeted for some reason," said Jesse Carr, with Dallas PD.
As the investigation has gone on, Thompson’s white Lincoln SUV has been linked to the Christmas murder in Balch Springs, and Balch Springs PD said it has been in contact with Rowlett police about a shooting involving a white Lincoln SUV there.
Balch Springs shooting kills 1 on Christmas Day, police say
Balch Springs police are looking for the person responsible for a shooting that killed a man on Christmas morning.
"Luckily, the person was not hurt," Gonzalez said.
Additional charges in the Balch Springs case could be coming soon.
"We’re still waiting for ballistic evidence," Gonzalez added.
Thompson has a history of aggravated assault convictions.
He was out on bond when police said he committed these recent shootings.
Those charges relate to felony criminal mischief, misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury/family violence, and misdemeanor terroristic threat of family/household. Magistrate Janet Lusk signed bond paperwork in May for $10,000.
Thompson is currently held without bond.
Rowlett police confirmed it is working on an incident with Balch Springs PD, but at this time, it does not have the evidence to tie Thompson to its incident.