Ferris park shooting: 5th arrest made in connection to deadly shooting

FERRIS, Texas - According to city officials, a fifth person has been arrested in connection to a deadly shooting at a park in Ferris that happened on Saturday, May 10. Sir Robert Wesley Dixon, 17, died after being shot in the neck, police say. 

5th Arrest in Ferris Park Shooting

The Latest:

The Ferris Department of Public Safety arrested 32-year-old Donald Lofton Jr. in connection with the homicide of Sir Dixon. Lofton was arrested in Waxahachie.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Lofton's home and vehicle. Officials say he used that vehicle to leave the scene of the homicide.

Lofton has been charged with failure to report a felony, and tampering with physical evidence. He was booked into the Ellis County Jail following his arrest.

Investigators say Lofton is related to the victim, Sir Dixon.

Investigators also executed a search warrant on a vehicle that was impounded the day of the incident. That vehicle is registered to an 18-year-old female. Officials say that vehicle was occupied by the juvenile murder suspect and multiple other individuals. 

Investigators believe they found the possible murder weapon inside that vehicle. The weapon is undergoing forensic analysis. 

Deadly Shooting at Jerry Watson Memorial Park

The backstory:

Investigators say there was a group playing basketball at Jerry Watson Memorial Park on Saturday, May 10 when another group arrived. Ferris City Manager Brooks Williams said the two groups had some sort of ongoing dispute.

Just before 2 p.m. there was a fight involving more than 10 people. There were young adults and juveniles involved in the fight. During the fight, officials say there was an exchange of gunfire.

Investigators say Sir Robert Wesley Dixon was shot in the neck by a juvenile suspect.

After that shooting, officials say an adult male got the gun Dixon had and fired multiple rounds at the juvenile who was believed to have fired the first shot. Police now say that the suspect is Mister Donald Dwayne Dixon; Sir's twin brother.

READ MORE: Ferris park shooting: Arrested suspects include victim's twin, police say

Arrests in the case

Big picture view:

The juvenile who allegedly shot Sir Dixon has been charged with murder. Officials did not release the name of the juvenile.

Mister Dixon is accused of shooting and injuring another juvenile while shooting at his brother's killer, police say. Mister Dixon has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful carry of a weapon.

Officials say a female, believed to be a minor, was at the scene and in possession of a gun used in the shooting. She is reported to have given Sir Dixon the gun before the shooting started. Ferris Police say she was also arrested on Monday on a warrant directly related to the shooting. Her official charges have not been released.

The Ferris Department of Public Safety arrested 17-year-old Juliana Pargas in Lancaster, TX on Monday, without incident. Police say she was found at a family member's home. She was wanted on charges of tampering with evidence. 

Donald Lofton Jr. has been arrested and charged with failure to report a felony and tampering with physical evidence.

City of Ferris Responds

What they're saying:

"We are following the facts and evidence wherever they lead, ensuring no stone is left unturned. That is our responsibility, and we take it seriously," said Brooks Williams, City Manager of Ferris. "Our hearts still break for the loss this community has suffered. We remain as steadfast in our prayers as we are in our resolve to see this case through. Our prayers are with the families, the victims, the community, and all those impacted. No part of this is easy, and none of it is something any community should have to endure. We look forward to better days."

City Manager Brooks Williams sent a news release on Wednesday morning addressing some of the concerns of the community. It says:

We’ve heard the questions and statements:

What is the City going to do to make sure this never happens again?
What is the City going to do to keep violence out of our parks?
What is the City going to do to stop people from bringing weapons into public spaces?
The city can just tear the park down for all we care. 
The city should have never allowed this park to be public.

And beneath those questions and statements, we’ve begun to see something else, an implication that perhaps the responsibility for a human being’s decision to commit violence should be laid at the feet of those tasked with maintaining infrastructure, creating programs, or enforcing laws.

We want the public to know, we are not passive in the face of these challenges. We have made meaningful investments in public safety, in partnerships, and in building trust with our community. And we will continue. We will continue to invest in personnel and expand our public safety workforce. We will continue deploying advanced security cameras throughout parks and high-traffic areas. We will implement new AI detection systems capable of identifying visible and concealed weapons in real time. While no technology is infallible, these are additional layers of vigilance we are putting in place, not as a promise of perfection, but as a sign of our commitment.

We are also evaluating an expansion of our partnerships to include mental health professionals, outreach teams, and local organizations that work with youth, because we understand that enforcement alone is not enough, we must address root causes, not just symptoms.

And yet, even with all of that, it is both heartbreaking and frustrating that a tragedy becomes the backdrop for a larger misunderstanding of what any city, ours or any other, is capable of doing alone. It should be known, without any misconceptions, there is no ordinance, fence, patrol, or policy that can eliminate the human capacity for violence when someone is determined to cause harm.

We live in a time when responsibility is often displaced onto institutions, as if the mere existence of a local government, county government, school district, or other public entity somehow creates the ability to prevent every act of evil. That’s not how it works. We can provide lighting, presence, programming, and enforcement. We can invest in our youth, build partnerships, and encourage community involvement. And we are doing those things, and we will continue to do so.

But if the argument is that the problem stems from a space being public rather than private, or open rather than restricted, then we’ve missed the real danger. Making the assumption that safety can be guaranteed by geography, or that human nature changes with zoning designations, is like thinking evil needs a key card to get through the gate. That is not how this works.

This was not a zoning failure. It was a moral failure. A cultural one. And it is not one that the City of Ferris, or any city, can fix alone.

The belief that government can somehow remove the desire to do harm from a person’s heart is a dangerous illusion. We are not battling a lack of ordinances, we are battling human nature. And the idea that policy alone can save us from ourselves is not only false, it is the very delusion that keeps us from doing the real work of change. You cannot regulate away hatred, bitterness, trauma, revenge, or the glorification of violence that infects so many parts of our culture. These are not policy problems, they are people problems. Human nature problems.

Frankly, this line of thinking is part of the problem. It implies that an institution, city, school, county, or otherwise, exists to undo human nature, to intercept evil before it even manifests, and to do so without the partnership of the very people it serves. It turns accountability into something we outsource, and in doing so, it paralyzes progress. Because when you believe someone else is supposed to fix everything, you stop asking what you are supposed to do.

We didn’t get here overnight. We got here through years of moral erosion, of ignoring red flags, of celebrating rebellion while silencing wisdom, of convincing ourselves that law enforcement is the enemy and personal restraint is optional. We got here by mocking faith, removing mentors, and letting screens raise our children. And not just any screens, screens flooded with chaos, cruelty, and clout-chasing. We expect young people to choose peace while the adults in their lives model outrage. We demand discipline from teenagers while feeding them a daily diet of dysfunction, watching grown men and women treat disrespect like entertainment and division like a brand. If you don’t believe that, just spend five minutes reading how people talk to one another on a community Facebook page. Social media isn’t just shaping youth, it’s showing them what adults have deemed acceptable. And then we act surprised when that darkness doesn’t skip a generation. And now we want to blame others and a lack of external solutions? No. We have to be more honest than that.

We are in a societal moment where it’s easier to demand external solutions than to confront internal truths. But real change doesn’t begin at City Hall, it begins in the mirror. It begins by recognizing that the brokenness we fear in our world is too often a reflection of the brokenness we tolerate in ourselves, in our homes, and in our communities.

The truth is, it will take all of us. Parents. Educators. Faith leaders. Coaches. Neighbors. And yes, cities too. But not cities alone. If we’re serious about change, then it’s time to stop pointing fingers and start linking arms. Because safety isn’t the sole product of government, it’s the product of community.

We grieve with the families. We are resolute in pursuing justice. And we invite everyone to take part in building a culture where this kind of violence no longer has room to grow.

As it is written, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

Government can guard gates, but only truth and transformation can guard hearts. That is where the real battle lies.

What's next:

The investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional arrest warrants are expected as evidence continues to be processed and reviewed. The Ferris Department of Public Safety is committed to ensuring a thorough investigation and holding all responsible parties accountable.

What you can do:

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the Ferris Department of Public Safety at 972.544.2225 or the Marty Steinfeldt Public Safety Headquarters.