A night that began with a reported fight in a Garland business parking lot ended with a 19-year-old woman dead and a Louisiana man behind bars on a murder charge. Garland Police say officers responding to the 5300 block of North Garland Avenue around 11 p.m. on Sunday found an unconscious woman after bystanders had already begun trying to save her life.
According to FOX 4, officers had received information that gunshots were heard at the location before they arrived and found the woman unresponsive in the parking lot. Police joined bystanders who were already performing lifesaving measures on her and took her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased, according to a news release from the Garland Police Department on Facebook. She was later identified as 19-year-old Zaria Calhoun.
Detectives Trace the Altercation to a Gathering of Acquaintances
Detectives learned that a small group of individuals who appeared to know one another had gathered at the location for reasons that remain unknown, per the department's release. That gathering led to an altercation that escalated into gunfire, during which Calhoun was struck. The report notes that police had already described the initial dispute as a fight before the situation turned deadly.
Detectives went on to identify, locate, and arrest a man believed responsible for the shooting. He was identified as 20-year-old Demarcus Deshaun Hawkins of Louisiana. Hawkins was arrested and charged with murder, a first-degree felony, according to the police department's account of the case.
Suspect Held Without Bond as Investigation Continues
Hawkins remains at the Garland Detention Center, and no bond had been set as of the latest update, the same account notes. Garland Police have described the investigation into the shooting as active, with FOX 4's reporting confirming that the case remains ongoing.
No further details about what sparked the confrontation, the identity of the business whose parking lot it occurred in, or any upcoming court proceedings have been released. Garland Police have not indicated when additional information might be made public.
