A victim’s sister says he opened the door expecting a routine drop-off and was shot moments later.
DALLAS, Texas — What looked like a normal pizza drop-off at a Dallas home turned into a targeted shooting March 1, when a gunman hiding near a garage opened fire on a man who police say never placed the order.
The attack has become a high-interest case for Dallas detectives because of its planning and timing. Investigators say the suspect appears to have used the victim’s name to arrange a cash delivery, then waited for the man to step outside before shooting him. The victim survived being hit multiple times, but the suspect remained unidentified this week. Police say the shooter escaped in a silver Chevrolet Trax, and detectives are asking whether anyone’s home camera may have captured the vehicle moving through the neighborhood before or after the ambush.
According to police, the shooting happened at about 4 p.m. near Sedona Lane and Dove Creek, with officers responding at roughly 4:13 p.m. to the 1800 block of Sedona Lane. Video reviewed by investigators shows a person dressed in black standing out of sight near the victim’s garage wall, waiting as a food delivery arrived at the residence. Once the victim came to the door, the suspect approached and started shooting, authorities said. Investigators later said the gunman ran away, then returned and fired again before leaving the area. The victim was struck eight times. Dallas Fire-Rescue took him to a hospital, where police said he was in critical condition. Detectives have not said how many shots were fired in all or whether anyone else was outside when the ambush began.
The victim’s sister, Maria Perez, said the delivery made the moment feel ordinary until the shooting began. She told local media that her brother did not order the pizza himself and likely believed someone he knew had sent it. Perez said he thought his girlfriend may have arranged the delivery, so he went to the door with no reason to expect danger. “He opened the door to receive a pizza that he did not order,” she said. “When he opened the door immediately, he was shot.” Her account adds a personal detail that fits what police have said publicly: the delivery appears to have been the trigger that brought the victim into the attacker’s line of fire. Police have not released the victim’s name, and Perez said she did not want it made public as her family dealt with the aftermath.
Detective Michael Bui said the evidence points to a deliberate setup rather than a spontaneous act. He said investigators believe the suspect searched the area, obtained the victim’s name and understood the order had to be structured in a way that would require a delivery. Bui said the purchase was kept under $50 and paid in cash, details he said support the theory that the suspect was trying to engineer a face-to-face moment at the front door. That planning has pushed the case beyond a standard neighborhood shooting and into a broader hunt for digital and physical evidence. Detectives have not publicly described what records they have requested from the delivery platform, whether they have traced the account used to place the order or whether the order was made from a nearby location. They also have not said whether the suspect had prior contact with the victim or whether the shooting may be tied to another dispute.
Publicly released evidence remains limited, which has made the surveillance video especially important. Police said the victim’s Ring doorbell camera did not capture the shooting, leaving investigators with footage from another property across the street. That video, according to police, shows the suspect’s clothing and captures a silver 2024 or 2025 Chevrolet Trax believed to be connected to the shooting. The department’s public case summary says the investigation is documented under case number 029209-2026 and remains ongoing. So far, police have not announced an arrest, released a sketch or disclosed whether they have identified the delivery driver as a key witness. They also have not said whether the suspect was dropped off, acted alone or had help planning the attack. For detectives, that means each new clip from a driveway camera or neighborhood system could fill in a missing part of the route in or out of the area.
The setting itself adds to the unease around the case. The shooting unfolded in daylight in a residential block where deliveries, security cameras and people coming and going would not seem unusual. That may be one reason investigators believe the suspect chose the method carefully. A person waiting near a home around delivery time may not draw immediate attention, especially if a driver has just pulled up. The attack also happened fast enough that even with cameras nearby, the best public description remains broad: a person in black and a silver compact SUV. For residents, the case has become a reminder of how little warning there may be when a crime is built to blend into daily routine. For police, the unanswered question is whether the planning that helped the gunman escape also left behind digital traces that can identify who staged the delivery and why.
The case was still open on March 19, with detectives continuing to review video and seek information about the silver Chevrolet Trax. The next milestone will be whether investigators can connect the fake order, the vehicle and the shooter’s movements into enough evidence to identify a suspect publicly.
Author note: Last updated March 19, 2026.