Dallas police added a first-degree felony charge against an 18-year-old after investigators linked an unborn child’s death to an alleged assault on a pregnant woman.
The unborn child died after the alleged May 15 assault. Dallas police announced the additional charge July 17 after investigators connected the death to the assault.
Xavier Phifer, 18, now faces injury to a child, a first-degree felony, in addition to assault of a pregnant person, a third-degree felony, the Dallas Police Department announced Friday. Police said he remains in the Dallas County Jail.
The update is the latest of seven homicide announcements or case updates DPD has published in July. Those releases describe eight deaths, although only five of the underlying incidents occurred in July. The five July incidents left six people dead.
The DX Brief
| • DPD said Phifer allegedly assaulted the pregnant woman May 15. Investigators later linked the unborn child’s death to the assault.
• Police published the case as a homicide investigation but announced an injury-to-a-child charge, not a murder charge. • Of five homicide incidents DPD reported between July 2 and July 10, police announced arrests in two and no public arrest in three. |
Unborn child dies after alleged assault
DPD said officers responded May 16 to a hospital to take a report about an assault that allegedly occurred at about 5 p.m. May 15 in the 200 block of Fran Way.
Police said Phifer allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman and someone took her to the hospital in a private vehicle. Medical personnel discovered that her unborn child had died.
Officers arrested Phifer May 21 on the assault-of-a-pregnant-person charge. Further investigation connected the child’s death to the physical assault, leading police to add the first-degree felony injury-to-a-child charge.
DPD said Phifer and the woman knew each other but did not describe their relationship. The department also did not disclose the child’s gestational age, describe the alleged assault or announce a murder charge. Police documented the case under number 070044-2026.
The charges remain allegations. The law presumes Phifer innocent unless a court finds him guilty.
Six killed during first 10 days of July
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DPD publicly classified five incidents between July 2 and July 10 as homicide investigations. Six people died, including two victims in the Michigan Avenue shooting.
Through Saturday afternoon, DPD had not posted another homicide release tied to an incident after July 10. The count comes from public DPD Beat announcements and should not be read as a final official citywide homicide total.
Arrests announced in two July incidents
Police arrested Dillon Hill, 34, after a July 5 altercation outside in the 4200 block of Harry Hines Boulevard. DPD said Hill punched John Zuniga, 50, causing him to fall and strike his head. Officers initially charged Hill with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Zuniga died July 9, and police then charged Hill with murder.
Two juvenile boys also face capital murder charges after officers found two people fatally shot July 8 in the 3400 block of Michigan Avenue. Police took a 15-year-old and a 14-year-old into custody and transferred them to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center. DPD did not identify the victims in its initial release.
The charges against Hill and the two juveniles remain allegations and do not establish guilt.
No public arrest in three July cases
An unknown suspect shot 19-year-old Lacorian Darfour on July 10 in the 9500 block of Bruton Road. Dallas Fire-Rescue transported Darfour to a hospital, where he died. DPD has not publicly announced an arrest in the case.
Police also reported that an unknown suspect shot a man July 7 in the 3400 block of Sam Houston Road. The man died at a hospital. DPD did not identify him or announce an arrest in its release.
The first July incident occurred July 2 in the 3500 block of La France Street. Police said a known suspect shot Charles Baldwin, 56. DPD said the case would go to a grand jury but did not identify the suspected shooter or announce an arrest.
Earlier incident announced in July
DPD also published a July 7 homicide release about Jeremy Walker, 35, who fell from a moving vehicle June 27 in the 9300 block of Pinyon Tree Road and died several days later. Police did not announce charges or explain the circumstances surrounding the fall.
Walker is included among the eight deaths described in DPD’s seven July homicide announcements or updates, but his case is not included in the six-death count tied to incidents that occurred in July.
Anyone with information about the Fran Way case can contact Det. A. Joslin at 214-671-4095 or adam.joslin@dallaspolice.gov.
Provided by Dallas Express
