Dallas man admits to murder after confrontation near homeless shelter
Charles Reeder, 66 (Source: Dallas County Jail)
DALLAS - A 60-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon after a confrontation over a parked car near a Dallas homeless shelter. Police have arrested a 66-year-old man in connection with the shooting.
Fatal shooting near Dallas homeless shelter
The backstory:
Dallas police said officers were called to the 1800 block of Jeffries Street at 5:10 p.m. for a shooting. According to an arrest affidavit, the shooting happened on a sidewalk near the Austin Street Center homeless shelter.
When officers arrived, they found Dagoverto Rodriguez, 60, with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m.
The suspect, Charles Reeder, 66, was arrested at the scene after he flagged down responding officers and identified himself as the shooter. He was taken to a hospital for minor cuts and bruising to his face before being taken to Dallas County Jail and charged with murder.
According to the affidavit, Reeder called 911 after the shooting, saying he shot Rodriguez.
Two witnesses told police that Rodriguez, who was homeless and living in the area, was sleeping on the sidewalk near a white Lexus belonging to Reeder. When Reeder returned to his car, he confronted Rodriguez for being too close to the vehicle.
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Witnesses said Rodriguez moved about 10 feet away, but Reeder confronted him again. The two got into a fight, and witnesses said Reeder punched Rodriguez multiple times. Reeder then pulled out a handgun and shot Rodriguez once, according to the affidavit.
One witness told police that Rodriguez had nothing in his hands and that there was no reason for the shooting.
Reeder told police in an interview that he had been trying to get into the Austin Street Center shelter and was sleeping in his car in the area. He said he became suspicious of Rodriguez and confronted him. Reeder claimed Rodriguez punched him in the face multiple times, causing him to briefly lose consciousness.
Not for self-protection but for "confidence"
According to the affidavit, Reeder said that after he regained consciousness, he went to his car, retrieved a handgun from the glove box, and concealed it in his pants. He admitted to police that he was angry and did not get the gun for self-protection but for "confidence" to confront Rodriguez again.
Reeder told police he could have walked away and called 911 but was angry after being "insulted." He admitted to swinging at Rodriguez before shooting him.
Police found a single .45-caliber shell casing at the scene and a .45-caliber handgun in Reeder's vehicle after obtaining a search warrant. The gun had been reported stolen in 2024, according to the affidavit.
What you can do:
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Adam Joslin at 214-649-2790 or adam.joslin@dallaspolice.gov.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office and the arrest warrant for Charles Reeder.