Driver in Dallas freeway crash kills 2 would-be helpers

DALLAS, Tex. — Two men who stopped to check on a driver who had wrecked his car early Sunday were shot and killed by the man they were trying to help, police said.

The driver also wounded two other men, including a Dallas police officer.

About 2:20 a.m., with four victims lying in the darkness a short distance from his blue Nissan on southbound Interstate 35E near downtown, Nick Anthony Salinas turned the gun on himself and fired one last time.

Police said they do not know why the 20-year-old Cedar Hill man shot the others and then killed himself. No one heard him say a word.

“We may never know,” said Dallas police Sgt. Gary Kirkpatrick. “But it’s something we hope to find out.”

Robert Daniel Langston, 22, of Duncanville, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jesus Reyes Terrazas Jr., 24, of Dallas, died a short time later at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, police said.

Police Senior Cpl. Jerry Poston, 42, was shot in the face, right leg and right hand and was in serious but stable condition Sunday at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, his supervisor said. He probably will not regain vision in his left eye, but is otherwise expected to recover, Deputy Chief Vincent Golbeck said.

The other survivor, Barry David Smith, 30, was in serious condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the upper body, police said.

There is no known connection between any of the witnesses and the shooter, police said.

“It appears that each of these victims thought that they were providing roadside assistance to an accident victim when they were brutally shot without any motive that we know of,” said Lt. Vernon Hale.

Timothy Inge, who hired Mr. Terrazas as cashier at an Auto Zone, then promoted him to manager, said he wasn’t surprised his employee was trying to help a stranded motorist.

“That’s the kind of person he was – he was always willing to lend a hand,” Mr. Inge said.

According to police, the fatal sequence began about 2:05 a.m. when Mr. Salinas crashed his car into a retaining wall just north of where the highway passes over Reunion Boulevard.

Bob Hope said he was the first person to approach the car. He said Mr. Salinas pointed the shotgun 18 inches from his face. Mr. Hope twice called 911 to report gunfire.

“I was the only one to walk up to that window and walk away,” Mr. Hope said. “The next four times people approached that vehicle they were shot every time.”

Next, Mr. Langston and a companion stopped their vehicle about 100 yards south of Mr. Salinas’ car. As Mr. Langston approached the driver’s side door, Mr. Salinas shot him in the head. The other person escaped unharmed.

Mr. Smith, who stopped his car south of Mr. Langston’s vehicle, was shot as he approached minutes later.

It was about that time that a vehicle carrying four men, including Mr. Terrazas, pulled onto Reunion Boulevard near the highway bridge. Like the first victims, the men passed what they thought was an accident scene and returned to help, police said.

They walked up a hill toward the highway, and Mr. Salinas fired two rounds through his windshield, striking Mr. Terrazas once in the head.

Another man in that group was armed with a handgun and returned fire, though police said they do not think he hit Mr. Salinas. That man was licensed to carry a concealed weapon and was not injured, police said.

Then, Cpl. Poston and his partner arrived on the scene, having received reports of a car accident and a shooting. They parked their vehicle between Mr. Langston’s and Mr. Smith’s.

Cpl. Poston approached Mr. Smith, who was lying wounded in the road. But before the 17-year veteran reached the man, Mr. Salinas shot the officer twice.

“It’s kind of chaotic as soon as they arrive there,” said Chief Golbeck. “They’re trying to find witnesses, find out what’s going on and before ... [Cpl. Poston] knows it he’s fired upon. ... So he was definitely caught off guard.”

Pellets from the blast were scattered throughout Cpl. Poston’s neck, face, scalp and knee, Chief Golbeck said. The officer is expected to undergo surgery on his leg today, Chief Golbeck said.

“He was talking; his sense of humor was still coming through,” Chief Golbeck said. “He’s a brave, brave guy.”

Mr. Smith was recovering in intensive care after undergoing surgery Sunday, a family friend said.

Friends and relatives of Mr. Terrazas poured into the Dallas home where the young man lived with his parents. Friends described him as a jokester who was involved in his church and loved to play the piano and other instruments.

A man who answered the door at Mr. Langston’s home Sunday afternoon said the family had no comment on the shooting.

Family and friends – some in tears – sat outside Mr. Salinas’ home in Cedar Hill on Sunday afternoon. They declined to speak with a reporter.

Sgt. Kirkpatrick said police have had contact with the Salinas family and hope to talk to them again. But he added that if someone outside the immediate family knows what set Mr. Salinas off, they should contact police.

“Not knowing who the right person is, it will be easier for them to come to us than for us to go to them,” Sgt. Kirkpatrick said. “This may not be a problem he shared with his mother or father.”

WFAA-TV (Channel 8) contributed to this report.