CEDAR HILL, Texas — Several people who live on Bailey Drive in Cedar Hill are grappling with the city's first homicide of 2024, especially since it involves one of their neighbors they describe as nice and quiet.
This victim is a mother who kept to herself according to neighbors but was friendly.
One concerned neighbor who asked not to be identified described the gunfire and how she scrambled to safety.
"About 10 booming sounds, like a gun or cannon or something near," said the concerned neighbor. "It sounded like it was just piercing coming to my home. So, I just dove straight to the floor, you know, crawling around as I'm trying to get to the phone to call 911."
Although she managed to get to a safe spot inside her own home during the gunfire, she's still shaken up. Someone opened fire on her neighbor's home at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Now, her neighbor's house is riddled with bullets. One of the bullets went through this window which has since been repaired. Cedar Hill Police say a bullet struck Lacrecia Thomas. She did not survive. The 45-year-old mother lived here with her young adult children according to neighbors.
"It's just very sad that these kids lost their mother in a senseless crime," the concerned neighbor said.
Another neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told WFAA his family heard the gunfire, took cover, and also called 911. He said he believes there may have been more than one person shooting at the house based on the number of shell casings scattered in their front yard.
Several homeowners have home security cameras showing how police flooded their neighborhoods following 911 calls about the shooting. They watched as crime scene investigators used flashlights to find and collect dozens of shell casings from the ground.
Homicide detectives went door to door on Bailey Drive and several other streets. They checked with neighbors to see if their security cameras recorded any suspicious people, activities, or vehicles in the area at the time of the shooting.
"They were out here from about 5 that morning until 3 p.m.," the concerned neighbor said, "They had the streets blocked off and the forensic teams. So, it was just it was scary,"
Scary, she says, because no one will feel safe again until whoever is responsible for the shooting is caught.