55-year-old Jimmie Tarrer of Dallas is being held at the Dallas County Jail on murder charges with a $200,000 bail following a deadly shooting involving his wife and another woman.
The shooting happened around 8:00 p.m. on the 3300 block of East Illinois Avenue in South Dallas. Tarrer and his wife were outside talking on a plot of land that they own when 31-year-old Lanita Cole allegedly walked by and, according to an arrest affidavit, accused Tarrer’s wife of calling her “the n-word.” A physical altercation ensued.
Tarrer’s wife told police that Cole “spun her around somehow,” resulting in a cut on her left eyebrow. Police believe the laceration to have been caused by Ms. Tarrer’s own eyeglasses.
At that point, Tarrer told his wife to move away from the other woman before he shot Cole once.
Tarrer called 9-1-1, requesting police and an ambulance, and told police the woman he’d shot was armed with a knife. He then administered CPR to Cole until rescuers arrived, however, the woman died at a hospital at 8:33 p.m.
The police have not disclosed whether a knife was discovered at the scene. Tarrer’s wife, however, says she did not see Cole holding a knife.
Without some crucial bits of information, it’s truly impossible to say whether this use of deadly force was justified or not. We’ll post updates to this story if any surface.