Dallas, TX
‘That was my baby’: As Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph is questioned, slain man’s loved ones seek justice
The ultimate textual content message Emily Chavez acquired from Cameron Ray, her boyfriend of greater than two years and roommate since December, got here at 1:54 a.m. on March 18. It was three phrases lengthy.
I miss you.
Chavez and Ray have been renting a home in Palestine, a couple of two-hour drive southeast of Dallas. Ray is extra of a homebody, she stated. He doesn’t exit usually. When he does — like he did that night time to rejoice his finest pal’s birthday in Previous East Dallas — they textual content intermittently all through the night. She doesn’t go to sleep till she is aware of he’s secure.
Ray texted Chavez at 1:54 a.m. His finest pal referred to as at 2:18.
“He’s like, ‘The place are you at, Emily? The place are you at?’” Chavez stated. “‘Cam simply received shot, Emily. Cam simply received shot.’”
Ray, 20, suffered a deadly gunshot wound to the top shortly after a skirmish between some members of his group of buddies and one other group outdoors a bar on the 3600 block of Greenville Avenue. His family members need justice and are dedicated to bringing it. Since Ray’s dying on March 18, they’ve tracked the social media exercise of individuals whom they consider are accountable.
Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph is certainly one of them.
Joseph was a passenger within the black SUV from which photographs have been fired at Ray and his buddies shortly after the teams’ confrontation, Joseph’s lawyer, Barry Sorrels, stated Friday. The lawyer informed The Dallas Morning Information that Joseph was not the shooter. Dallas police investigators interviewed Joseph for just a few hours Friday afternoon, and no prices in opposition to him have been filed right now.
Joseph turned linked to the murder investigation after police on Wednesday launched surveillance footage of him and 5 others earlier than the taking pictures, asking the general public for assist figuring out them.
“It makes me very indignant, the truth that he’s attempting to clear his identify,” Chavez stated of Joseph. “I perceive you’re a celebrity. You play soccer. You’ve gotten a profession. You’ve gotten your life fairly set out. However if you happen to’re so harmless, why did it take the police to place out the video and on your followers to establish you so that you can admit?”
Mourning and looking out
Most individuals referred to as him Cam.
A few of those that knew him from basketball — he was a standout at Athens Excessive College — affectionately referred to as him “Growth.”
Ray was the firstborn to Christi Ray, and he was her solely son. She stated he was respectful and loving, somebody who made some extent to name his mom day by day.
“That was my child,” Christi Ray stated. “I’m simply attempting to remain sturdy, nevertheless it’s arduous.”
She described him as a protecting older brother to his three sisters. When certainly one of them received a boyfriend, he needed to know. And Ray at all times tried to make folks snort. He was gifted with a humorousness from each mother and father, Christi Ray stated, and wasn’t afraid of appearing goofy or dancing to elicit laughter from these round him.
”He saved everyone laughing,” she stated.
This Monday will mark a month since Ray’s dying. Between mourning and funeral planning, a lot of these closest to Ray have devoted a lot of the remaining vitality into attempting to assist clear up the thriller surrounding his dying. They observed breadcrumbs on social media that started to floor the day he died, whereas the household was nonetheless on the hospital.
Chavez stated that she observed an Instagram publish of hers about Ray was “favored” by an account she didn’t acknowledge.
Chavez clicked on the profile and located a lately posted music video that included a “You Know Da Vibe” group rapper standing subsequent to a black SUV. Possibly it was a coincidence, however as a result of the SUV matched the outline of the suspect’s automobile, she stated that she despatched the picture to Dallas police.
“Our ideas are with the sufferer’s household and family members, at first,” a Dallas police spokesperson stated Friday. “I can’t touch upon particulars of the continued investigation, however I can affirm our detectives are working across the clock following up on leads and conducting interviews, working to search out the particular person or individuals chargeable for Cameron’s homicide.”
Video of a black SUV was solely the beginning.
Different posts from Chavez and Ray’s household have been favored by YKDV-affiliated accounts. They documented what they observed, preserving photographs and movies earlier than the social media accounts have been scrubbed.
Joseph has a rapper pseudonym, YKDV Bossman Fats, that predates his time within the NFL. YKDV stands for “You Know Da Vibe.”
For the reason that police launched surveillance footage, which included Joseph sporting a YKDV medallion on his necklace, the household believes they’ve recognized an Instagram account for 5 of the six folks linked to Ray’s dying. Krista Wigfall, Ray’s stepmom, referred to as the Cowboys on Thursday morning and reached a high-ranking Cowboys official, notifying him of her perception Joseph was among the many males within the surveillance movies.
One YKDV account favored a Chavez publish, she stated, as lately as Friday afternoon. She despatched a screengrab to The Dallas Morning Information that corroborated.
Justice, they hope, is close to.
‘My love’
Shortly earlier than he was shot, Ray informed his girlfriend he missed her.
She misses him, too.
Following that frantic 2:24 a.m. telephone name together with his pal, Chavez instantly packed a suitcase with all the things from her pants and shirts to toiletries like shampoo earlier than driving two hours to the hospital the place Ray was transported. She ready for an extended restoration. Cops comforted her in the course of the panic assault that came across arriving to search out Ray on life help.
Nonetheless, she texted him from the hospital foyer. She texted him from beside his mattress.
She knew he couldn’t reply, however there was a lot she needed to inform him.
In these weeks since March 18, Chavez stated that she’s prevented the rental home they referred to as residence, as a substitute staying in Athens with Ray’s father and stepmother. She has begun plans to maneuver from Palestine. Some folks have informed her, she stated, to cease taking a look at pictures of them, to cease listening to unhappy songs.
She isn’t able to cease. Sometimes, her telephone sends her notifications to name or textual content message Ray, whose contact identify on her telephone is “My Love.”
The latest textual content that Chavez despatched him got here at 2:24 a.m. Wednesday. Written in capital letters, it was three phrases lengthy.
I LOVE YOU.
Dallas, TX
Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear jersey No. 71
Don’t look now, but we are 71 days from the start of the Dallas Cowboys season.
With that comes the latest in our countdown of the best players ever to wear their respective numbers with the franchise. For No. 71, the story should be about never giving up.
The player who best represents the No. 71 for Dallas isn’t someone that anyone would have ever guessed.
Mark Tuinei’s journey to becoming one of the greatest to ever play for the Dallas Cowboys seems nearly impossible. Tuinei was a defensive tackle during his college career and, for his first two seasons in Dallas, served as a second-stringer for the defensive line.
However, moving to left tackle in 1986 changed his professional career. Tuinei started at tackle for twelve seasons in Dallas, earning Pro Bowl honors in two of those seasons (’94 and ’95).
A career that once seemed impossible is now one that can never be forgotten. Tuinei’s professional career is an excellent example for anyone who thinks the road to success may feel daunting.
To sum up what the No. 71 means to the Dallas franchise, I think the best way would be to say that if you show up every day and do the work, you will be rewarded for that time.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
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Dallas, TX
Letters to the Editor — Dallas Charter Plan, bail, immigrants, ERCOT, Texas Medical Board
Good take
Re: “Dallas Charter Plan Is a Progressive Mess — Proposed amendments have money for the council and division for the rest of us,” Wednesday editorial.
Bravo. What a refreshing change to read your outstanding opinion on amending the Dallas City Charter. I think I will keep my subscription.
Edward Walker, Dallas
Look at bail bond companies
Re: “Bail Charities Need Closer Scrutiny — State should confirm groups properly assess risks,” Monday editorial.
We agree with your recent editorial advocating for better pretrial data to inform policymaking. Transparency is essential for a fair and effective justice system. And we are pleased to see the Office of Court Administration taking steps toward this goal.
However, when it comes to charitable bail fund reporting in particular, there is a troubling double standard in the level of scrutiny applied compared to bail bond companies, which profit from struggling families without similar oversight.
To make a real difference, robust data collection must cover the entire pretrial landscape, including the bail bond industry’s practices as well as the effects of pretrial detention on those who cannot afford bail or bondsman’s fees.
Without quality data, policymakers rely on anecdotes, hindering effective, fair and informed decisions. Meaningful pretrial reform can enhance public safety while protecting the presumption of innocence and addressing racial and economic disparities in our justice system.
Systemwide data collection is indispensable for achieving this delicate balance. Only with consistent standards and transparency can we ensure that our pretrial practices are fair and effective.
Erin George, Philadelphia
national director of policy, The Bail Project
Undocumented values
Re: “Walking a thin line on border,” by Gromer Jeffers Jr., Monday Metro column.
I want to believe Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez’s statement that “Most Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that have worked and lived in our communities for years.” Over two decades, I have been a friend to such a family whose children (all American citizens) have grown up. Everyone worked and supported Texas the same way I did — through sales and property taxes. One child serves in the military.
While undocumented, the parents have not tried to vote, although I hope their children, who have been educated in Dallas ISD, will vote at the right age.
Also, it’s an insult to associate their status with the transport of fentanyl, which has been reported to be smuggled largely by U.S. citizens.
Paul Halebian, Dallas
State electric planning lacks
Re: “Lines aren’t ERCOT’s,” by Charles E. Jackson, Tuesday Letters.
I think that most of the Texas public really doesn’t care about the details of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Public Utility Commission, the free market of generation or the Legislature’s action or nonaction. What they want is reliable electric power no matter what the source or how it gets to their home.
Unfortunately, the state of Texas does not have an overall integrated plan to accomplish that. Investors in supplying electricity I think are hesitant to invest hundreds of millions of dollars with the uncertainty of return on their money.
Recently, we have had an excess in wind turbine generation off the coast of South Texas without adequate lines to get the power where the demand is. The state of Texas continues to attract data centers and crypto mining firms, which use a lot of power, without an overall plan on power supply.
Some states, to avoid shorting home power demands, have made it mandatory for new high-power-demand firms to show a supply. Before homeowners can feel comfortable about reliable power in summer and winter, there is a lot more work to be done and it is not evident the state is leading the way in planning.
Robert A. Munroe, Dallas
Rethink abortion issue
Re: “Medical board tweaks rules — Abortion guidance clarifies practices for doctors, but Legislature holds power,” June 22 news story.
The “action” or lack thereof by the Texas Medical Board to clarify the existing abortion laws in Texas, while disappointing in its results, is not surprising. The board simply lacks the authority to rewrite, add to or eliminate the laws. Those laws were not only poorly thought out, but the long-term impacts on Texas women and doctors were simply not considered at all. The only consideration was saving fetuses.
These laws put women at risk of losing their lives or future fertility, and doctors at risk of extreme civil and criminal liabilities. In addition, many people of faith do not believe that life begins at inception.
Why is a woman’s right to life and religious freedom put below that of a fetus? Since the board was not able to provide meaningful guidance, it is now up to the state Legislature to modify the laws.
The legislators who support the ban do so because they say they want to protect life. Why is the life of a woman less important than any fetus she is carrying? I challenge the Texas Legislature to rethink this issue and make it safe for women in Texas to be pregnant again.
Marilee Hayden, Frisco
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
Dallas, TX
Dallas Mavericks emerge as suitor for Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson’s unrestricted free agency will begin at 6 pm ET on Sunday (June 30). The Golden State Warriors veteran has not reached an agreement on a new deal to remain in the Bay Area. As such, he is free to discuss terms with any team in the league. Therefore, the likelihood of Thompson leaving Golden State is growing by the day.
According to a recent report by Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are the latest team to register an interest in Thompson after clearing some cap space by sending Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the Dallas Mavericks, with some newfound financial flexibility after securing the Tim Hardaway Jr.-to-Detroit trade that I wrote about Tuesday, are another team intent on exploring the feasibility of signing Thompson once he makes it to free agency,” Stein reported.
The Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets have also been cited as interested in adding the veteran shooter. Other contending teams will likely value Thompson’s shooting and wing defense.
Golden State could still retain Thompson; however, the longer they wait to open negotiations, the less likely it seems that he will still be with the team at the start of next season.
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