14-year-old girl killed in Dallas drive-by shooting

DALLAS - A 14-year-old girl was killed and a 16-year-old was injured in a drive-by shooting in Pleasant Grove.

The fatal shooting happened just before 10 p.m. Monday at a city park across the street from Hawthorne Elementary School. Dallas police homicide detectives are reviewing videos from surrounding businesses to try to get more clues on the suspects and the vehicle they drove off in.

Witnesses told police a dark-colored vehicle with four men inside drove up to the victim's vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking two of the four victims inside the car. Natalie Hernandez, 14, was one of the victims. The other is a 16-year-old boy.

The victims drove to the Conoco convenience store on South Buckner Boulevard where Cliff Giddings was working. He says he called 911 after a young man came in saying he was shot in the leg. Moments later, Hernandez walked in.

“When she walked in, she was calm at first and stuff, but I guess for adrenaline was rushing so she didn't feel the pain until she was at the register,” Giddings recalled. “Then she started talking and everything, saying, ‘I've been shot! I've been shot!’ And she fell on the ground.”

Hernandez died at Baylor Hospital. The 16-year-old survived, but his condition has not been released.

“It’s just a sad tragedy for a 14-year-old child to be gone and taken from this world so soon,” Giddings said.

Police say the two other people in the victim's car were not injured.

Police have only described the suspects as four men in a dark-colored vehicle.

Students at nearby W. W. Samuell High School say all four of the victims went to their school. A Dallas ISD spokesperson says teachers say Hernandez was bright, smart student.

Senior student Laidrick Brooken did not know Hernandez but saw one of her teachers crying at school on Tuesday.

"She was just crying. It hit her in the heart,” he said.

Brooken says people in Pleasant Grove avoid parks for their own safety.

"Got people scared to come outside,” he said. “They're scared for their lives basically because people want to do dumb stuff and kill innocent people like little kids."

Dallas ISD will have grief counselors on campus for the remainder of the week.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $5000 reward for any information that leads to the suspects responsible for the murder of Natalie Hernandez and the aggravated assault on the other three passengers in the car.