6 Wounded in Pleasant Grove Shooting

Six men were recovering Thursday from gunshot wounds received Wednesday afternoon in Dallas.

It happened in broad daylight shortly after 5 p.m. at a strip shopping center on Scyene Road at St. Augustine Road in Pleasant Grove.

Police said the victims were ages 17, 20, 22, 28, 37 and 55. One was in critical condition; the others had less serious injuries.

At the shopping center, people come and go from a laundry mat and other stores. Jordynn Shaw and her sister tried to visit a beauty store in the center Thursday but it was closed. Blood from the shooting victims was still on the pavement in front of that store.

"That's just terrible. It's devastating really," Shaw said.

Also visiting the shopping center Thursday was Rev. Ronald Wright, a Pleasant Grove community activist and past member of the Dallas Police Oversight Board, which holds police to a high standard.

"The police can't do their job if we don't open our mouth and say anything, especially here on this corner," Wright said.

He said he has seen suspicious characters at the shopping center in the past and businesses share a responsibility to help keep it safe.

"The community needs to wake up and hold our council members accountable, so we can hold our law enforcement accountable, but also hold our businesses accountable," Wright said.

A corner convenience store at the strip center does have security. A guard was on duty at the store when the shooting occurred Wednesday. A clerk in the store Thursday said police detectives have collected video from the store's surveillance cameras, which may help solve the crime.

Dallas Police spokeswoman Kristin Lowman said detectives were reviewing that video for additional clues Thursday, but suspects were publicly identified only as three men in a white car.

"We are going to have bad days, but if you look at the direction we are going, violent crime is down," Lowman said.

A shooting that a victim survives is considered aggravated assault.

Dallas crime statistics as of Wednesday showed 1,175 fewer aggravated assaults so far in 2022 compared with the year before, a 4% reduction. There were 25 fewer homicides and murders, a reduction of 5.86%. Overall violent crimes against persons citywide were down .87%.

"And the message we continue to send to the public, if you’re seeing something that is happening in your community, call us. You need to report crime, call 911. That’s what’s going to help us make these number even lower and prevent these crimes from happening," Lowman said.

Wright agreed that cooperation is needed to keep the numbers improving.

"We've got to make sure we go forward and not go backward," he said.

But Jordynn Shaw said she would be afraid to speak out about the bad guys.

"I know some people want to get involved, get crime out of the way but I just wouldn’t want to put myself in that position," she said.

In some parts of Dallas, it is still tough to make people feel comfortable challenging criminals.

Anyone with information who is willing to help can contact Det. Justin Barger at 214-671-4264 or email justin.barger@dallaspolice.gov.

And there is extra incentive to do so. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest and indictment. Tips can also be sent to 214-373-8477.