DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — A shooting inside a popular Oak Cliff shopping center left one person dead and two others injured.
Dallas police said just after 1:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon, a suspect later identified as Javis Dixon, 26, shot multiple people inside the Big T Plaza off of West Ledbedder Drive and I-35 East. Police believe that one or more of the victims got into a verbal argument with Dixon leading up to the shooting.
One victim, Corderro Robinson, 36, did not survive his injuries.
“Scary isn’t it?” said Leshenda Griffin who came to the plaza to go to the beauty store. “Don’t know why it happened but it’s just got to stop happening, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Griffin and others who came to look at the large police presence hope for solutions to stop this kind of violence from happening at the popular plaza.
“I don’t know if this place has any electric monitors or whatever, that may be a good first step to start, you know, everybody is going to have to be frisk when they come in and I don’t mind being frisk if it means that I’m not going to die, that I’m going to make it back home,” added Griffin.
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold represents this area and spoke to the Big T Plaza’s owner.
“The Big T Bazaar is committed to maintaining that this is a safe place to shop, that [the owner is] committed as he’s always been, as he stated, of making sure that he does have a partnership with this city but also with the Dallas Police Department and this surrounding community,” said Arnold.
She points to working with police, businesses, and community groups to make sure visitors are safe in these shopping areas.
“We’re going to make sure that we work with our community partners to make sure that no matter where you shop, no matter where you live, we know that it’s going to be a safe place and we just have to work together in tandem to make sure that public safety is number one,” said Arnold.
This is a community trying to change the narrative of this plaza so that way visitors don’t have to think like this the next time they come here.
“I better get in and get out and hopefully I can make it home to see my family tonight,” added Griffin.
