The Dallas Police Department have released body camera footage from a shooting early Saturday morning in Deep Ellum that left a 21-year-old man dead and another injured by police gunfire.
What happened at Canton Street parking lot
The shootout started at approximately 2.20 AM on 5 July in a parking area off 2600 Canton Street, where, as the investigators indicated, a brawl ensued between two groups. Gunshots were fired, and several individuals were in the crossfire.
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Five to six minutes later, police were flagged down several blocks away in the 100 block of South Good Latimer Expressway by a man who had been shot several times. They provided first aid in front of a wounded man who explained to them that there was more gunfire and it was in the south.
Officers immediately started searching the area. As they headed south on Good Latimer Expressway, they saw people fleeing the Canton Street lot. Upon entering, they found another gunshot victim, 21-year-old Kaylen Fritz, who was fatally wounded.
{{/usCountry}}Officers immediately started searching the area. As they headed south on Good Latimer Expressway, they saw people fleeing the Canton Street lot. Upon entering, they found another gunshot victim, 21-year-old Kaylen Fritz, who was fatally wounded.
{{/usCountry}}Officers then encountered 19-year-old Tevin Valentine standing over Fritz while holding a gun. Bodycam footage reportedly shows Officer Luis Garza-Fuantos and another officer ordering Valentine to drop the weapon. Police say instead of complying, Valentine ran and pointed the gun at Garza-Fuantos.
Garza-Fuantos fired once, hitting Valentine, who fell and dropped his weapon. Officers rendered medical aid at the scene, and Valentine was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Who was Kaylen Fritz? Mother speaks out after Deep Ellum tragedy
Dallas PD later said the gun Valentine was holding had been reported stolen in 2022 from University Park. Several other firearms were recovered at the scene.
No officers were hurt during the incident. The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, and the Office of Community Police Oversight are all now reviewing the case.
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“He didn’t get a chance to be a father. He didn’t get a chance to experience fatherhood,” said Fritz’s mother, Cortisha Lyons, per WFAA/ABC News. “He was so excited when he left Friday night. He left. I was excited to let him out.”