An 18-year-old Dallas man shot in the neck earlier this month has died, and Dallas police say charges against the 15-year-old suspect will be updated to reflect manslaughter. Cristopher Nevarez died Wednesday, four days after he and the teenage suspect both showed up at a hospital in a private vehicle seeking treatment for gunshot wounds sustained elsewhere.
According to DPD Beat, Dallas police were first called to the 8200 block of Walnut Hill Lane on October 3 around 7:30 p.m., after officers learned Nevarez and the 15-year-old had arrived there by private vehicle rather than being shot at that address. That location, as reported by KDFW, is the site of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas — a regional Level I Trauma Center, one of only 20 such facilities in the state, per Texas Health Resources. Police have said the actual shooting took place at a different, undisclosed location.
Investigators say the 15-year-old shot Nevarez from behind while Nevarez sat in a car, then shot himself in the hand, according to the DPD Beat report drawn from Dallas police records. Nevarez suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and was listed in critical condition, while the teen suspect was treated for a hand wound. Dallas police’s fugitive unit arrested the juvenile on October 5 on a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; the station’s report notes he remains in custody.
Charges to Be Updated After Four-Day Hospital Stay
Nevarez remained in critical condition for four days before he died Wednesday. Dallas police have said charges in the case will be updated to reflect manslaughter now that the victim has died, per the same DPD Beat account.
Nevarez’s family launched an online memorial fundraiser Wednesday seeking $9,000 to cover funeral and cemetery expenses, organized by Krishnna Nevarez, according to the GoFundMe page. The investigation remains open and is documented under case number 145847-2026, with Det. A. Knoebel, badge number 10313, listed as the department’s point of contact for anyone with information.
What Comes Next for the 15-Year-Old Suspect
Under Texas Penal Code § 19.04, manslaughter is a second-degree felony carrying a punishment range of 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to legal reference materials published by Saputo Toufexis. But because the suspect is 15, the case will not automatically proceed as an adult prosecution.
Texas Family Code § 54.02 allows juvenile court judges to certify defendants age 15 or older to stand trial as adults for any felony, including manslaughter, but that process requires a formal transfer hearing and a court-ordered diagnostic evaluation, per guidance published by McCarty-Larson PLLC. Texas law also has provisions governing juvenile offenses. It remains unresolved which path Dallas County prosecutors will pursue.
At the neighborhood level, Dallas City Council District 10 saw homicides fall from 13 in 2024 to 6 in 2025, according to the Lake Highlands Advocate. The stretch of Walnut Hill Lane has drawn scrutiny before; Hoodline has previously covered a shooting near transit at the nearby Walnut Hill DART station.
Anyone with information about the October 3 shooting is asked to contact Det. A. Knoebel at 469-849-3755 or [email protected].
