Police said a man tried to take several vehicles before he was shot during a struggle with a driver.
GARLAND, TX — A man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon in Garland after police said he crashed into two vehicles, tried to steal other cars and fought with a driver outside a convenience store.
Garland police said the shooting followed a chain of events that began with a traffic crash near State Highway 66 and Dairy Road. The case remains under investigation, and police had not filed charges against the driver who fired the gun as of Sunday night. The dead man’s name had not been released Monday morning because relatives had not yet been notified.
Officers were called to the area about 3:30 p.m. Sunday after reports of a crash with unknown injuries, police said. Investigators said the man was driving a green passenger car when he collided with two other vehicles on the road. The drivers involved then pulled into a gas station at the corner. Police said the man from the green car then began trying to force his way into other vehicles in the parking lot. He was seen checking door handles and entered at least one vehicle, but he was not able to drive away. “Those attempts were unsuccessful,” Garland police said in a statement describing the early findings.
The man then crossed Dairy Road on foot and entered a nearby convenience store parking lot, police said. A driver in a white Chevrolet Impala pulled into the lot with two adult women and five children inside the car. Police said the man approached the Impala as the driver stopped and began to get out. Investigators said the man tried to take the Impala by force, leading to a physical struggle between the two men. During the fight, police said, the Impala driver pulled out a firearm and shot the man at least once. Officers arrived and found the man wounded. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No one else was reported injured, including the people in the Impala and the drivers from the earlier crash, police said. The driver who shot the man stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police have not said whether the driver had a handgun license or whether the firearm was recovered at the scene. They also have not released the number of shots fired, the exact location of the wound or whether any surveillance video has been collected from nearby businesses. The man who died was described by police only as a Hispanic male while officials worked to notify his next of kin.
The crash and shooting unfolded in a busy commercial area where State Highway 66 meets Dairy Road, a corridor lined with gas stations, convenience stores and other small businesses. Police said the people involved in the crash initially stopped in the area rather than remaining in the roadway. The case quickly shifted from a crash investigation to an attempted vehicle theft and fatal shooting investigation once officers learned what happened in the parking lots. Police have not said what may have led to the first crash or why the man allegedly tried to enter other cars afterward.
Investigators were still reviewing the sequence of events Monday, including the crash, the attempted vehicle thefts and the struggle at the Impala. Police said no charges had been filed against the Impala driver as the investigation continued. The case is expected to be reviewed as detectives collect statements, examine physical evidence and determine whether the shooting meets Texas law on self-defense or defense of others. Police have not announced a date for a briefing or the release of more records. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to confirm the man’s identity after family notification.
Images from the scene showed police markers near the white Impala after the shooting. The vehicle was in a parking lot where investigators appeared to focus part of their work. Police said the Impala was occupied by a family group when the man approached. The presence of five children in the vehicle became a central detail in the police account, though officials did not release their ages. Officers remained in the area while they processed the scene and gathered accounts from people who saw the crash, the attempted thefts or the fight.
The investigation remained active Monday morning. Police had not identified the man who died, and the next major step is expected to be the release of his name after relatives are notified.
Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.