Dallas police are searching for more information after a man found shot and unconscious on a North Dallas street early Wednesday morning has died.
The victim was identified as 37-year-old Matthew Scott De La Garza by Dallas police. De La Garza has two daughters; a teenager and an 8-year-old, according to family members.
The victim was found before 1 a.m. Wednesday in the middle of Preston Oaks Road, near the Galleria Mall, with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.
De La Garza was taken to Medical City Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 1:23 a.m.
The victim's brother, Jason Brightman, told NBC 5 that De La Garza had been living with him at the Preston Oaks Crossing Condominiums for the past three months. Within the last week, Brightman said his brother had found his own place and was in the process of moving out.
"He really had a huge heart. He was working so hard to becoming a better man," Brightman said about his brother.
Brightman and De La Garza are biological brothers from Dallas that were adopted by different families after being taken into Child Protective Services custody when they were younger.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"We’ve spent a lot of time not being the best brothers," Brightman said. "And in just the last three months, we have become so close. He never told me he loved me before. And about two weeks ago, he was hanging up the phone and said, 'Oh hey bro, by the way, I love you.' And I lost it. My brother had such a huge heart, and he was growing into a beautiful man. And it’s a shame, and I hope they find the person that did this. Because it’s going to tear up our family. It’s definitely tearing me apart."
Brightman said De La Garza walked down the normally safe street to get a pack of cigarettes from the nearby 7-Eleven store. Brightman believes his brother was shot multiple times while walking home.
"It's mind-blowing that something like this would happen here. I've only been here a year but nothing like this has happened in my neighborhood. This is the first time I've been up close and personal to something like this," apartment resident Kelsey Villanueva said.
NBC 5 has reached out to Dallas police for more information.
