DALLAS — Investigators have identified two women and a man who were found dead from gunshot wounds at an apartment complex in Northeast Dallas.
The shootings happened at Summerwood Cove in the 9800 block of Summerwood Circle.
Investigators identified the two women who died as 26-year-old Marietta Julieze Matthews and her mother 55-year-old Tamiko Geniece Merriwether. They say Matthews was in a relationship with Nathan Rashad James, who died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police were called out to the complex for reports of an active shooter on Sunday.
”It was like three gunshots I heard,” said neighbor David Hart.
The situation escalated after police say a man with a rifle fired shots at a patrol car. The Dallas police SWAT unit was called to the scene. Hours later, police entered a unit and found the two women and man deceased.
The shooting remains under investigation.
New Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia briefly discussed the shooting incident in a Twitter post on Monday. Garcia posted photos of the damaged patrol car, writing he was praying for the victims and inspired by the bravery shows by officers.
Garcia has hit the ground running one week into the new job and has already been in the field with patrol officers. He told members of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee Monday he’s already working on strategies to address violent crime.
”Our target areas, there will be more visibility and there will be more enforcement,” Garcia told the Public Safety Committee.
During the meeting, Dallas police revealed the month of January saw 16 homicides and 489 aggravated assaults. Police say data shows violent crime, overall, is down 10%.
“Quite frankly, we need to ensure that our community understands and recognizes the difference between policing, and visibility, and enhancing our efforts in our target area grids as opposed to being over-policed,” Garcia added.
The new police chief said he hopes to bring in criminologists in the coming weeks to help tweak DPD’s violent crime reduction plan.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else.