Dallas police made a show of force Friday in the park where a 13-year-old playing basketball was shot in the back by a stray bullet Thursday night.[[428821103,R]]
Half a dozen officers in marked cars questioned other young people at the Old East Dallas Work Yard Park at 4900 Alton Avenue at South Munger Boulevard.
A police officer said they were questioning park visitors about the incident the night before and possible criminal activity in the neighborhood.
Police had made no arrests in the shooting as of Friday evening.
The victim, Nathaniel Aguirre, was recovering Friday at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. A hospital spokesman said the victim's family declined comment. He was taken to the hospital Thursday in critical but stable condition.
Witness Jose Alfredo Lopez, 18, said the victim was playing with other kids on the basketball court when the shots were fired at about 8 p.m. Thursday.
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"And as soon as we heard the gun shots, I told the little kids, 'Come on, let's go. We've got to get out of here,'" Lopez said.
The witness said he saw Aguirre fall behind with blood coming from his back and chest.
"He's a good kid. He comes to the park all the time, doesn't mess with anybody," Lopez said.
Resident Edward Roblez said the park and the neighborhood around it is normally peaceful.
"We have crime watch here. We're had it for five or six years. The crime rate has gone down. But every once in a while, somebody has to be a bonehead and do something stupid," Roblez said.
Dallas police records indicate there have been fewer aggravated assault cases that are not related to family violence so far this year compared with last in the reporting area that includes the park.
But citywide in Dallas, non-family violence aggravated assaults are a growing problem this year. Through Thursday there have been 20.92 percent more of those crimes, the leading factor in a 3.18-percent increase in violent crime across Dallas. Police leaders have recently blamed gang-related shootings for the surge in aggravated assault.
"It's devastating. It's disturbing me a lot. It's just babies. The kids these days, they just pull out a gun. They won't fight. To me it's just being a coward," neighbor Edward Roblez said.
This story will continue to be updated as more details are released.
