On December 29, 2023, at about 4:40 a.m., Dallas police responded to a shooting in the 3100 block of Harry Hines Boulevard in Oak Lawn. Two 14-year-old boys were found with gunshot wounds and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. One of them, Ah-bralen Rider, died of his injuries on December 31; the other teen was treated and is expected to recover. A 16-year-old male was arrested and initially charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; after Rider’s death one charge was upgraded to manslaughter. Authorities have withheld the suspect’s name because of his age and say the investigation is ongoing.

The Rider family suffered a second fatal loss days later when, on January 10, 2024, Ah’Laynah Modica-Ross, age 6, was fatally shot at the family home in Old East Dallas while the children’s mother was at a funeral home arranging Ah-bralen’s service. A 19-year-old family acquaintance, Damariya Sowels, was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence; Sowels admitted bringing firearms into the home and attempting to conceal them after the shooting. Exact circumstances of how Ah’Laynah was shot remain under investigation.

Did anyone in the area see or hear anything that night on Harry Hines Boulevard or have information about the two shootings?