Red Oak Chief of Police says vigilant community members and residents of Hickory Creek Estates led to successful arrests in a shooting yesterday. He wrote on Facebook, “Thank you to the Hickory Creek Estates community in assisting the Red Oak Police Department’s arrest of a suspect from yesterday’s shooting that occurred in the 100 block of Cool Brook Drive. Multiple community members provided crucial video and photographic evidence that led to the identification and ultimate arrest of the suspect and the recovery of an involved weapon.
The involved suspect, collaborating with several other potential suspects, summoned another known adult who resides in a surrounding city to the 100 block of Cool Brook Drive, to commit a robbery from that known adult.
Hickory Creek Estate community members heard several gunshots and promptly notified the Red Oak Police Department. Responding officers located an adult male individual who had a single gunshot wound to his thigh. He was provided immediate first aid and transported to a local hospital, where he was later released.
Officers immediately secured the crime scene and began processing the area for physical evidence. Due to the time of day, the Red Oak Independent School District bus routes were placed in a temporary hold around the crime scene location.
Through the investigation several suspects were determined to be involved and their participation was confirmed because of the video evidence from the neighborhood. It was determined by the investigation that the suspects fled the immediate area. Ironically, the investigation revealed that the individual who had been shot was actually a suspect and had been shot by one of the other robbery collaborators.
After several interviews, a full confession, and the serving of a search warrant, a weapon was recovered at a residence in a Red Oak. The investigation also revealed that the location for the robbery was randomly selected, and none of the involved parties had a specific connection to the Hickory Creek Estates subdivision.
The primary suspect was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. Because of community cooperation, “if you see something say something”, a weapon used in a criminal act has been recovered and several additional suspects have been identified. There is no ongoing threat to the community, and additional charges are pending for the other involved parties.
The Red Oak Police Department firmly believes that keeping our community safe is a top priority and only through collaborative community efforts can we actively reduce crime. If you have any additional information about this crime or other crimes, you may make an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Ellis County at 972-937-7297 or follow the below link: https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=1035&C=&T= or contact Detective Jalen Merrick at 469-218-7702 / JMerrick@redoaktx.org.”
Thank You,
Garland Wolf
Chief of Police
