A 14-year-old girl was killed and a 16-year-old boy was wounded in a drive-by shooting Monday night near Umphress Park in southeast Dallas, police say.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner identified the deceased teenager as Natalie Hernandez, a freshman at Dallas' W.W. Samuell High School.
Teachers there described Hernandez as a bright, smart student.
Hernandez was with three others in a car along the 1800 block of Ormond Drive, near Umphress Park and Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School, when, at about 9:45 p.m., someone pulled up along side of them in a dark-colored vehicle and opened fire.
After the shooting, the teens drove to a nearby convenience store at Buckner Boulevard and Umphress Road. There a store clerk called 911.
“She comes to the register and she’s like, ‘Please call 911.’ So I called 911, and I was like ‘Who’s been shot?’ And she passed out right here on the floor," said Cliff Giddings who was working the register that night.
Giddings said it didn't take long for Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics to arrive. They transported Hernandez and another injured teen to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. Hernandez was later pronounced dead; the condition of the second teen is not known.
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“This is a sad tragedy for a 14-year-old child to be gone and taken from this world so soon," said Giddings.
A third person in the vehicle was detained for questioning, and the fourth left the scene before officers arrived, according to police. Neither suffered injuries in the shooting.
No arrests have been made and no motive has been revealed. The gunmen have not been identified and only a vague description of the men was provided by police.
Dallas police are asking for help in the murder case and are authorizing Crime Stoppers to pay up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment in the fatal shooting. Call Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Callers can remain anonymous.
Officials with the Dallas Independent School District said they will have grief counselors at the school this week to offer assistance.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest updates.
