Structure CMS™ By Gregory Hoyt
DALLAS, TX – On November 9th, a four-year-old girl was non-fatally struck by a bullet during a suspected drive-by shooting that took place at an apartment complex located in Dallas.
Now, the distraught mother of this injured little girl is begging for whoever is responsible to come forward and turn themselves in.
“When is it going to stop? Innocent babies?" the girl's mother asked of the violence in Dallas.
— WFAA (@wfaa) November 11, 2020
Jazsmin Sanders is the mother of the four-year-old girl who was shot in the leg during what police say was a drive-by shooting that occurred at the Oak Cliff apartment complex on the evening of November 9th.
At approximately 11:00 p.m. that evening, Dallas Police officers responded the Oak Cliff apartments located on the 2800 block of East Overton Road.
Police found two victims from the shooting, being the little girl and and also an adult male. Investigators believe that neither the girl nor the man injured were the intended targets of the shooting.
Reportedly numerous apartments and homes were struck by the gunfire that evening.
The child, Royalte Bailey, was said to have lost four pints of blood from having been shot in the leg, but was listed as being in stable condition and is expected to survive.
While young Royalte is expected to survive, the trauma that both she and her mother are going through doesn’t just vanish once various injuries heal.
Sanders explained that no child should have to suffer such a traumatic experience:
“My baby damn near lost her life. She’s nothing but four. She don’t deserve that at all.”
When commenting on the acts of violence plaguing the city of Dallas, Sanders rhetorically asked when these sort of acts will cease:
“When is it going to stop? Innocent babies?”
Dallas has reportedly seen an uptick in violent crime this year when compared to last, with aggravated assaults having increased by 26% with 6.904 having occurred in 2020 while this time last year there were a reported 5,489.
But the increase in violence isn’t just aggravated assaults.
This time last year, there were a reported 173 homicides. To date in 2020, that number is 204.
The young girl’s mother is pleading with whomever is responsible to surrender themselves to police:
“Whoever did this please come forward because I’m hurt. I’m hurt. I ain’t never been through this, I don’t wish this on nobody, it’s just hard for me.”
Locals who also reside in the apartment complex where the shooting occurred have expressed concerns over the safety of the neighborhood.
One of those local tenants, Kashaun Stovall, remarked on how her young children have become all to familiar with the sort of violence and crime that occurs in the neighborhood.
Stovall says her children have been telling her that they want to leave the area:
“My kids tell me every night they are ready to go. They know what a police siren is and they are scared. They know what a gunshot is and they are scared. They know what fighting and cussing is and they are scared.”
Stovall says she looks forward to one day being able to fulfill her children’s request:
“I just want to get my kids out the ‘hood, out these trenches. We can’t do nothing but call on God right now.”
With Sanders having to see her daughter lying in hospital, she notes that she’s “strong” but that this is just something she cannot handle:
“I want to know who did this? Who! And I’m strong, but seeing my baby like that. I can’t take it. I can’t take it.”
A GoFundMe has been established to help this family with Royalte’s accruing medical expenses.
Enforcement Today about four uniformed police officers coming under fire in late October in a seemingly unprovoked attack.
DALLAS, TX – On October 31st in East Dallas, four uniformed police officers were reportedly assisting victims at the scene of a traffic accident when gunfire started going off that is presumed to have been aimed at the officers.
Texas: 4 Police Officers (2 Dallas, 2 Mesquite) Shot At While Helping Accident Victims On Roadside: ‘This Needs To Stop!’ #TargetedWhileWearingBluehttps://t.co/AWAvxpWoqa
— Shawn Branch (@gntlman) November 2, 2020
The shooting occurred just two minutes before 7:00 p.m. on the 31st, where two Dallas Police officers and two Mesquite Police officers were assisting victims of a traffic accident at the intersection of John West Road and La Prada Drive.
According to Dallas Police Association president Mike Mata, the shooting appears to have been directed at the police officers:
“They were waiting on a wrecker and directing traffic when all of the sudden bullets are coming their way.”
After the first shot was fired, an additional four to five shots rang off in the officers’ direction. Acting quickly, the officers took cover and called in for backup.
The officers were then able to make their way over to where the gunfire was believed to have originated from in an effort to find the suspect or suspects responsible.
When the officers were running toward the believed direction of the gunfire, they reportedly heard some screaming around the 8300 block of La Prada Drive. Eventually, police had happened upon a 19-year-old suspect that authorities believe may be the gunman.
The suspect was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon and also marijuana possession. Police are currently testing the gun retrieved from the suspect to determine if it indeed was the one fired that evening.
Currently, officials have not revealed the names of the officers alleged to have been targeted in the attack, nor the name of the alleged offender.
From what Mata says regarding the incident, this matter is indicative of a broader problem occurring within the country when it pertains to how police officers are both painted and perceived by a dangerous – but vocal – small segment of the population:
“If it comes through attrition that this is the individual that fired those rounds at officers, it absolutely was intentional and unfortunately, it’s a narrative that’s being carried across the country by a very small percentage, but vocal amount of people.”
Mata pointed at the types of examples that have been seen in the recent months, with officers being attacked and seemingly targeted for simply being police officers:
“The protests that we’ve had in the past, we’ve had individuals that were throwing bricks. What happened in New Orleans with that officer that was shot in the face doing nothing but sitting in his squad car. This narrative that the police are the public’s enemy has to stop because it is not true.”
