SUNNYVALE, Texas — Police have released surveillance video of a Dallas County shooting that left one woman dead and four more people, including three children, wounded.
The shooting happened on June 4 in a parking lot of an apartment complex in Sunnyvale, east of Dallas.
Tyesha Merritt, 27, of Mesquite, was killed in the shooting, police said. Her brother and his three children were injured but have since recovered.
WFAA spoke with Merritt's mother, Varineke Merritt, who said the family had planned a family BBQ for that day, but her daughter never made it.
"I called her and called her and kept calling her phone and she never answered," said Varineke.
She said her daughter had been working hard to get life back on track after some struggles. She described her as "a big teddy bear" and a great big sister to her brother with special needs.
“I just cant make sense of it, I need to know what happened and why?” she said.
On July 31, Sunnyvale police released more information about the shooter and the shooter's vehicle, as well as video of the shooting, which happened at the Riverstone Apartments in the 200 block of Planters Road.
The video showed a black car, described by police as a late-model Toyota Camry with custom wheels, pull up to a car in the Riverstone parking lot. Someone runs out of the Camry toward the parked car, and then nine gunshots could be heard on the video.
One of the victims, Merritt's brother, runs away from the car, as the shooter runs back to the Camry, and the driver of the Camry speeds away.
Police said witnesses described the shooter as a Black man who was more than six feet tall and around 230 pounds and was wearing a mask. No description of the driver was available.
Police also released surveillance video from a gas station at U.S. 80 and Beltline Road that showed the suspects' vehicle on its way to the apartments, before the shooting.
“My gut tells me this was not random," Sunnyvale Police Chief Bill Vegas said. "My gut tells me this was targeted.”
No arrests have been made in the case. Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspects is asked to contact North Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-877-373-8477. Tipsters can stay anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $25,000, an amount that increased since the shooting in June.