Warrant issued for man found guilty of shooting at family driving in South Lubbock

A warrant was issued for the arrest of a 57-year-old man who didn't return to court after he was found guilty of shooting at a family three years ago as they were traveling in the southbound lanes of Slide road.

John Dunklin remained on the loose as of Tuesday, officials said.

On Wednesday, Oct. 11, a jury in the 137th District Court deliberated for about an hour before returning with a verdict finding Dunklin guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by threat.

Dunklin, who has been out on bond two days after his Dec. 18, 2020 arrest, was expected to return to court the next day for the punishment phase of his trial. He was facing two to 20 years in prison. A 1988 conviction for a drug offense excluded him from probation.

However, Dunklin never showed but the trial continued in his absence. A bond surrender warrant was issued for Dunklin.

Meanwhile, jurors deliberated for about two hours on Thursday before returning with an eight-year sentence for Dunklin, which will be imposed once he is caught and brought before District Judge John McClendon.

The case against Dunklin stems from a Lubbock police investigation into a Dec. 17, 2020 shooting in the 6000 block of Slide Road.

Jurors heard from Helen Willis and Raul Olivas, who said they were traveling in a yellow Camaro with their two children and their 3-year-old nephew in the back seat and noticed they were being followed by a gray SUV.

Dunklin lived two houses down from Willis' sister, Chelsea Wiley. The couple were frequently at Wiley's home to fetch their children after school.

Jurors heard that Dunklin and the family had an ongoing dispute, thought it wasn't clear how it started.

The couple picked up their children that night and were also taking Wiley's 3-year-old son, who was staying the night with them.

They said as they pulled out of the driveway, they saw Dunklin running to his vehicle and follow them.

Olivas, who was driving, drove through a neighborhood to confirm if they were being followed and to try to lose Dunklin, but the SUV stayed on their tail.

As they headed south on Slide Road near the South Plains Mall, Olivas said he slowed down to let the SUV pass them and hopefully get its license plate number.

The SUV drove up along side them on their left.

Willis told jurors she wrote down the SUV's license plate and as Olivas sped up to get away, she heard a gunshot.

Olivas said that as he passed the SUV, he saw the driver and sole occupant lean over the passenger seat and raise a pistol in their direction before hearing a gunshot.

Willis called 911 to report the assault then asked for officers to meet them at their home, where the couple found what they believed to be a bullet hole in the rear driver-side column of the Camaro.

A picture of the damaged vehicle was presented to jurors and investigators told jurors that the hole was consistent with damage from a bullet. However, a projectile was never found.

Meanwhile, patrol officers found the vehicle at Dunklin's girlfriend's residence.

Dunklin told the officers he was in the area of the shooting, saying he was driving to help his girlfriend who'd fallen off a motorcycle.

He denied shooting at the Camaro and told officers that it was he who was being followed as he drove his girlfriend's SUV.

However, officers searched the SUV and found a spent shell casing from a .380 caliber bullet.

Dunklin's girlfriend told investigators that she had a .380 caliber pistol but sold it a while back. However, a search of her apartment yielded a .380 pistol that was missing a bullet of the same brand as the spent shell casing found in her SUV.

Jurors also heard testimony that four months before the shooting, Dunklin threatened the family with a .380 caliber pistol and even pointed the weapon at the 3-year-old boy.

Dunklin wept and shook his head as prosecutors made their closing arguments, summarizing the evidence showed he intended to shoot at the family that night.

Dunklin's defense attorney, Michael Montoya, told jurors in his closing argument that the investigation into the shooting had enough holes to fit reasonable doubt that his client was the shooter.

He said Olivas, who has been charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and vehicle burglary, was not a credible witness.

He said investigators never tested his client or the SUV for gunshot residue, which could show that he fired the weapon that night.

"(The investigation) was just botched," he said.

He said the case against Dunklin was based on lies by neighbors who didn't like him.

"It was a dispute between neighbors," he said. "People go to great lengths to get (other) people in trouble."

Montoya said after the trial that he appreciated the jury's time and effort in considering the evidence presented at the trial.

Prosecutor Alan Fonseca told jurors that the family had nothing to gain by lying about Dunklin.

"This was just a family trying to go home," he said. "They did not want to be followed. They wanted to keep their children safe."

Prosecutor Greg Jerman told jurors in his closing argument that the evidence against Dunklin was overwhelming.

"He had this intent for a while," he said. "There's no question who shot at that vehicle. This was a senseless act that put children's lives at risk."

Jerman said Dunklin should be grateful the bullet he fired didn't go through the door and hit the children in the backseat.

"Nothing can justify this man's decision to reach out and shoot at that vehicle," he said.

Jerman told jurors during the punishment phase of the trial to consider the egregiousness of Dunklin's actions.

He said after the trial that he appreciated and respected the jury's decision.

"Discharging a firearm at another vehicle ... It's a bad act in and of itself, but adding young children into the mix just makes it even worse," he said.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Warrant issued man found guilty shooting at family driving in Lubbock