After a security guard was killed at a downtown Dallas CVS, police outlined new crime-fighting plans, but some residents say more needs to be done. NBC 5’s Keenan Willard has the story.
Police spoke to the downtown Dallas community Tuesday night about their plan to take on crime in the area.
Some residents are demanding action after the murder of a security guard at a downtown CVS Pharmacy store this weekend.
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It was a meeting about public safety brought on by one incident in particular.
“What the city plans to do about the shooting,” said Frank Garcia III, the owner of FGIII Fine Art Productions. “I mean it’s just a senseless, senseless shooting.”
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On Friday night, security guard Anthony Egeonu was shot and killed at a downtown CVS while confronting two teens accused of shoplifting.
The teens were arrested within 24 hours, with Dallas police saying on Tuesday night that the suspects would be charged with capital murder.
Town hall sponsor Downtown Dallas Inc. provides unarmed security guards in the area, and an app called “See Say” where people can report issues that 911 wouldn’t cover.
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“But we need our police to have a greater presence,” said Jennifer Scripps, the President and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc. “We believe that it’s a deterrent to a sense of disorder, we believe it’s the right thing to do given our vibrant economy.”
Interim Dallas Police Chief Michael Igo told the crowd violent crime rose downtown last year.
He said police started a nighttime downtown crime task force in November that increased patrols in places seeing the most crime, and since then, violent crime has flattened, and property crimes were down 23%.
Some in the crowd said the area still didn’t feel safe enough – among them, the mother of Anthony Egeonu.
“There’s something broken, something not working,” said Gwendolyn Pipkins. “Something that needs to be changed.”
Igo said he was planning to implement a new daytime crime task force downtown, as well as a revamped overall downtown crime plan with the help of researchers at UT-San Antonio.
Some hoped it could make a difference in the heart of their city.
“When you get downtown you want to feel safe as you go to work or go to lunch,” said Garcia.
Police also said they were working to address staffing, with the department currently at 3100 sworn officers out of 3600 budgeted positions.