2 teens arrested after string of shootings at Arlington home, police say
Arlington police have arrested two teens in connection with four targeted shootings of the same home within the past two and a half weeks.
The department believes the pair “have been shooting at a residence in the 800 block of Medina Drive,” Chief Al Jones announced in a tweet on Friday morning. The motive was possibly a social media feud, Jones said. No one has been injured in the shootings.
Tyxavion Pimpleton, 18, and Brian Lawrence, 19, were both charged with one count of deadly conduct, police spokesman Tim Ciesco said in an email on Friday. Those charges are in connection to the most recent shooting, which occurred on Monday, and additional charges are pending the outcome of the investigation, Ciesco said.
He said he couldn’t be too specific on the potential motive, since many details haven’t been verified, but noted police are looking into social media posts that could have sparked this. He also added “we don’t have any evidence to suggest this was a hate crime motivated by the victim’s race or ethnicity.”
One of the homeowners told KXAS-TV he’s Muslim.
Ciesco told the Star-Telegram, “It is highly unusual and highly concerning to see one home targeted like this over such a short span of time.”
“Throughout this investigation, our Gun Crimes Unit has worked tirelessly to identify and arrest the suspects,” Ciesco said. “And it’s due in large part to their efforts that we were able to get to this point today.”
The four separate incidents occurred between March 19 and Monday, each time involving multiple gunmen firing toward the home. Bullets went through the brick walls of the home and at least one vehicle, police said. It was unclear to detectives, and the homeowners, who could have been targeting them, and why.
But police began developing leads after the most recent shooting on Monday. A security video, provided by the homeowners, showed two people opening fire in the street before running away, according to KXAS-TV.
The homeowner said to the news station he had lived there for a dozen years with his 85-year-old grandmother, and had gotten no sleep in recent weeks.
Arlington police sent out increased patrols to that neighborhood in recent weeks, the department said.
Jones said in his tweet that detectives were working to determine if anyone else was involved in the shootings.
