Arlington police arrest four suspects in retaliatory shooting that left teenage girl injured, linking chaos to ongoing gang feud
Arlington, Texas – Earlier this month, the Arlington Police Department responded to a distressing incident at an apartment complex on Trailwood Ct, where a teenage girl was injured due to gunfire.
Around 2:15 a.m., on March 10, 2025, officers arrived at the scene to find a chaotic environment with dozens of shell casings littering the parking lot and a bullet hole visible in the window of one apartment. Inside, a teenage girl, who had been sleeping in her room, was struck in the arm by a stray bullet. She was swiftly taken to the hospital by a family member and has fortunately been treated and released.
The investigation revealed that the shooting resulted from an exchange of gunfire between two groups in the parking lot, though the girl and other apartment residents were not the intended targets. Initially, the case had few leads until a related incident two days later helped police make significant headway.
On March 12, officers returned to the same complex after reports emerged of an armed individual threatening a tenant. During their investigation, they encountered several individuals, including 23-year-old Michael Thomas and 21-year-old Dmarjae Johnson. When approached by the police, both men fled, leading to a brief chase before they were apprehended.
Further inquiries linked Thomas and Johnson to the shooting. Johnson was charged with evading arrest, while Thomas faced charges of evading, deadly conduct, and unlawful possession of a firearm, given his prior felony conviction and an existing warrant for his arrest. Both were also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as their involvement in the shooting became clearer.
The investigation continued, and detectives identified two more suspects: 18-year-old Cortez Atkinson and a juvenile, both known gang members. The juvenile was arrested by the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force on March 18 without incident and taken to the juvenile detention center. Atkinson surrendered himself at the city jail the following day.
The police believe that the shooting was part of an ongoing feud and was retaliatory. Chief of Police Al Jones praised his team for their diligence and reiterated the department’s commitment to combating such violence.
“I want to be absolutely clear that this police department and this community will not tolerate this type of violence,” he said. “When you show the kind of recklessness and disregard for human life that these individuals did, injuring an innocent teenager, the Arlington Police Department is going to come after you with every available resource and ensure you end up in jail.”
This incident underlines the challenges and dangers of gang-related violence, which not only affects those directly involved but also endangers innocent bystanders, highlighting the critical importance of robust law enforcement and community cooperation in tackling such issues.
