Along Pennsylvania Avenue in South Dallas, tragedy deepened this week as police announced an arrest in the shooting death of an Uber driver killed in late February.
A week after the Feb. 20 murder of 25-year-old Faneal Tesfit, Dallas Police announced they had a suspect in custody, a 15-year-old now charged with capital murder.
Loved ones have said Tesfit was driving for Uber ahead of entering medical school when he was shot, causing him to crash into an empty home.
“I know this youngster is facing capital murder charges. It’s unimaginable to me, and we know that justice must be served,” said Crimestoppers of Houston CEO Rania Mankarious.
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Mankarious said cases like this one shine a light on the growing number of teens committing violent crimes and the challenges in reversing the trend.
“We know that gun purchasing went up drastically across the country after COVID. We know that more youth are in homes where there are weapons, over five million kids under 18 years old. But we also know that gun carrying has actually gone up amongst youth by 41% in the last few years,” said Mankarious.
Over the last several months, the Dallas Police Chief and head of the FBI have addressed the problem, calling it a priority.
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Still, Mankarious said they face several challenges trying to combat the numbers.
“The question is why? Obviously, ease of access, having it become a bit more mainstream. But also this generation of youth that do not have the tools to deal with situations that maybe a few years ago they were able to deal with, this quick move to aggression, this disregard for life,” she said.
“And then certainly there are the other layered issues, mental health concerns, and untreated mental health concerns. Families that are breaking up and children that are essentially alone trying to navigate their place in this world. Resources that aren’t there for after-school activity, trade, work, et cetera.”
Crimestoppers works to reverse the trend through school presentations, speaking to kindergarten through high school children.
“We want to encourage them and educate them so they stay away from choosing that life. We talk about juvenile laws and other issues and what will happen for a child that might choose willingly or unwillingly to commit criminal activity or engage in it. But also there are other groups stepping in, other groups that are looking at food insecurities, homing issues, mental health and wellness education, health insurance,” said Mankarious.
Those groups include Dallas’s violence interrupters, who work to connect teens with crucial services in high-crime communities.
Still, this week’s arrest reminds them that they face an uphill battle.
In the wake of last week’s shooting, Tesfit’s friends said they couldn’t imagine why anyone would claim his life.
“Fineal was full of light and love and was somehow able to bring positivity to every person and every situation he touched,” Zoie Keating told NBC 5 shortly after the murder.
Now, Keating said they’re processing the news but remaining hopeful the arrest will lead to answers as they mourn a bright future cut short.
