Dallas Police on Saturday identified a security guard murdered in Preston Hollow as Adalberto Santiago.
The 34-year-old was shot and killed Friday afternoon after confronting a man breaking into cars in Preston Center Plaza, and police say they located the suspect’s vehicle in the Oak Cliff vicinity later that day.
A preliminary investigation determined Santiago fought with the suspect in the 8200 block of Westchester before being shot, police said. Santiago died from his injuries after paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, police say, the perpetrator fled in a gold sedan.
Police say they located the suspect’s vehicle just before 5 p.m. Friday in a closed business parking lot at N. Cockrell Hill Road near I-30, in the Oak Cliff vicinity.
A witness to the crime told Fox4 he tried to help Santiago and stayed with him until “that last gasp.”
The witness said he saw the security guard get in his car and go to the suspect. About 30 seconds later he heard four shots. He saw suspect vehicle, a Toyota Camry, leaving the scene. The witness called 911 and stayed with the bleeding, barely conscious man until paramedics arrived, “talking to him the entire time,” according to the TV news report.
The witness says he and the victim were casual friends who greeted one another regularly in the Preston Center parking lot, that they referred to one another as hermano or brother. The witness also said he believes Santiago was carrying a gun that day, something police have not confirmed.
Car break-ins and muggings are not uncommon in Preston Hollow, despite heightened awareness and surveillance.
If you know anything about this crime, contact Detective Jonequia Acrond at 214.605.4691 or jonequia.acrond@dallaspolice.gov.
