Dallas Police To Shooting Witnesses: Name Football Game Gunmen
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A grandmother will accept a high school diploma for her 17-year-old granddaughter Monday night.
That granddaughter is one of five people injured during a shooting at a recreation center football game Sunday night.
Relatives told CBS11 the seven-months pregnant teenager has undergone surgery; but, did not deliver early.
A young relative was with her and was not harmed; but, asked that we not use her name, telling CBS11 the shooting appeared to go on for several minutes. "When they had stopped shooting, I got up and she was still on the ground. I was like 'come on get up, we got to go'... And she was like 'I'm shot, call an ambulance.' I just panicked from there."
Another woman remains in critical condition, a third woman and two men are stable. According to police, a man pulled out a gun and started spraying the crowd after some kind of disturbance on the field. Several others in the crowd then apparently pulled their own weapons and returned fire.
"He started spraying, he just started shooting," says Quincy Guinyard, full of anger and frustration that the series of friendly football games between Dallas neighborhoods had been marred by violence.
"Kids was out here, babies running on the field," says Guinyard. Tthat could have been my baby, that could have been my sister, my mother, my grandmother... that could have been anyone and it's wrong."
Now, he, too is among those encouraging witnesses to come forward.
"Step forward, says Betty Curley, visiting the Juanita Craft Rec Center Monday. "You don't have to be identified; but, step forward and tell... let it be known that somebody spoke up."
Curley remembers when Juanita Craft, for whom the rec center is named, was running for Dallas city council. She says she voted for her, then, and believes she can speak for her reaction to the senseless violence now.
"She would be hurt," says Curley, "she really would be hurt." As for herself, Curley is frustrated that the good people in the community and the progress being made gets overlooked when people promote rather than challenge negative stereotypes. "I am angry and I get angry every day, because this is history over here."
Velma Price, 89, says, "What if someone had been killed? You cannot give back life! Think about what you're doing before you do it."
Police announced Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information. Witnesses can speak with a Dallas police detective working on the case by calling 214-671-3703.
