A Mother of Six Left Mississippi for a Better Life, But Ends Up Dead in a Crime-ridden Dallas Neighborhood

Dallas police tagged the brutal shooting of Gabrielle Simmons with a sobering, straightforward label: "Murder at 4800 Sunnyvale."The actual address where the mother of six was gunned down 1 ½ hours before sunset Monday is 4807 Sunnyvale St., site of a new Dollar General store within walking distance of the apartment where she lived in southeast Oak Cliff.It is a place marked by violent crimes, where robberies and assaults are common, illicit drugs and guns are prevalent and truancy has long been a problem.Simmons, 27, started working at the discount chain store about two months ago, said Pat Ford, president of the Kessler Heights Neighborhood Association. Ford met the young mother about two years ago when Simmons moved from small-town Mississippi to Dallas for a better life."She wanted something better for her and her children," said Ford, the resident services coordinator at the Rosemont at Oak Hollow tax-credit apartments where Simmons lived."She was pregnant when she moved here," said Ford. "She made the decision to go to work and was preparing to go to school. She was a very loving young lady and she took great care of her children."  Continue reading...