Rash of violent crime tied to teens concerns community leader

Concern is growing after a rash of violent crimes connected to teenagers made headlines in Dallas. Now, one well-known community leader, Antong Lucky, tells us it's going take more involvement from adults to fix the problem.

Lucky said he’s seen the headlines and he’s concerned. He’s the president of the Dallas-based nonprofit Urban Specialists, where he said they try to reach people who are at risk of becoming victims or offenders.

“For me, it’s a clarion call to organizations and people to get involved with our youth,” he said.

Lucky is a familiar face among youth throughout the city of Dallas as someone young people look up to. He’s one of many in the streets and on the front lines but said it’s going to take more hands on deck.

“Whenever you see an uptick in violence, it’s young people who are not connected to resources,” he said. “They’re not connected to organizations, not connected to mentors who can help them.”

Over the two weeks, teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16 were arrested for three separate homicides in Dallas. A 16-year-old and 13-year-old were arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault for a homicide here near Willie Mae Butler Park

In another case, Dallas Police recently arrested a 16-year-old for an April homicide at the 5800 block of Highland Hills Drive. The victim was also 16 years old.

There was also the arrest of a 15-year-old after Dallas Police arrived at the 1400 block of Peru Street on July 5 and found 50-year-old Walter Smith shot to death. The juvenile was later arrested on July 18.

Lucky said he’s pained by the news and feels overwhelmed at times. Still, the call to action remains. He says someone must do the work.

“Anytime I wake up I the morning and see on the news where some person has been tragically murdered it’s a blow,” he said. “But if you look around, you can see the success stories from these same young people. It’s just a battle of the wills.”

Investigations for all three murder cases are ongoing. Dallas police have not released the names of the suspected juvenile offenders.