Lonnie Ray Holcombe (Dallas County Jail)
A 54-year-old man in Texas was arrested over the weekend for allegedly shooting and killing his 49-year-old neighbor in front of his son and daughter following a fight about the victim and his family playing music too loud after a grandchild’s birthday party.
Lonnie Ray Holcombe was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count of murder for fatally shooting Carlos Gonzalez, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Gonzalez on Saturday was hosting a large family party at his home in the 900 block of Hoke Smith Drive in Dallas to celebrate his granddaughter’s sixth birthday. Police said the party continued after the children slept while the family played music after midnight.
As the festivities continued, Gonzalez’s son returned to the residence in his pickup truck with another man. Police wrote that the pickup truck was also playing music loudly.
Holcombe, who lives in the adjacent house, sat on his porch with his son when the pickup truck pulled in front of Gonzalez’s home. Police wrote that Holcombe grabbed a BB gun and “fired multiple shots at the pickup truck, hitting it and causing damage.”
The man with Gonzalez’s son was also struck by at least one of the BBs Holcombe allegedly shot.
The shooting took place at about 1:15 a.m., police said.
The son and the other man then went to Holcombe’s residence to confront him about shooting the BB gun. During the confrontation, Holcombe allegedly struck Gonzalez’s son, prompting Gonzalez to leave his home and go to Holcombe’s.
A fight then ensued in which Holcombe “was being assaulted by multiple people including [Gonzalez],” Gonzalez’s son, and the man who was with Gonzalez’s son.
“During the fight, Suspect Holcombe was on the ground with [Gonzalez] on top of him,” the affidavit states. “Suspect Holcombe pulled a .9mm Taurus handgun out of his pocket and fired it one time, striking [Gonzalez] in the chest. [Gonzalez] got up off of [Holcombe], and the fight stopped.
Both men then returned to their properties, and several people called 911 to report the shooting and request medical assistance.
Gonzalez was transported to Methodist Central Hospital, where he died. Holcombe told officers that the BB gun and handgun were on his front porch, and he consented to both being seized, the affidavit said.
Police transported Holcombe to the station, where he waived his rights and agreed to be interviewed by detectives. During the interview, Holcombe allegedly said that he and Gonzalez had an ongoing issue that dated back about a year.
According to the affidavit, Holcombe said that the family is “often playing loud music,” which had been “interfering with his life.”
However, speaking through a translator to Dallas Fox affiliate KDFW, Gonzalez’s daughter said that her family had feared Holcombe for some time. She also indicated that race and national origin may have played a role in Holcombe’s alleged animosity towards Gonzalez and his family.
“He actually told them, ‘You Mexicans shouldn’t be here. You Mexicans shouldn’t be here. You need to go back to place,'” the translator reportedly told the station.
Holcombe is being held in county jail on $250,000 bond.
The killing is reminiscent of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old Black high school student, who was gunned down by 45-year-old Michael David Dunn over an argument about loud music outside of a gas station, which was widely viewed as being racially motivated. Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
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