50 years ago, a Dallas police officer killed a handcuffed 12-year-old boy
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David (left) and Santos Rodriguez a few weeks before Santos was murdered. Screenshot: "Santos Vive"
Five decades after a 12-year-old Mexican American boy was murdered by a white Dallas police officer, the community is still healing.
Driving the news: Monday will mark the 50th anniversary of the night Dallas police officers took Santos Rodriguez from his bed, handcuffed him and his brother and put them in a police car. During his interrogation, the police officer shot Santos in the head in front of his 13-year-old brother.
Why it matters: The anniversary will be an opportunity for more people to learn about the murder and the racial inequality that still haunts Dallas.
Catch up fast: On July 24, 1973, two Dallas officers investigating the theft of $8 from a gas station vending machine removed 12-year-old Santos and 13-year-old David from their home in the neighborhood then known as Little Mexico and drove them to the gas station.
- In an attempt to coerce a confession, officer Darrell Cain put a gun to Santos' head. The second time Cain pulled the trigger, the gun fired, killing Santos.
- Santos' last words were "I'm telling the truth," his brother said later.
The aftermath: The murder prompted days of protests, including one in which a police motorcycle was set on fire.
- Cain was convicted of murder with malice and sentenced to the minimum five years in prison. He was paroled after two-and-a-half years. He died in 2019.
Of note: Cain had been involved in another controversial police shooting in 1970, when he killed an unarmed 18-year-old Black man.
Context: Cain's conviction was the last time a police officer in Dallas County was charged with murder for an on-duty shooting until Roy Oliver, who was convicted in 2018 in the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.
Quest for justice: Santos' mother, Bessie Rodriguez, was unhappy with the length of Cain's sentence — and the fact that his partner, Roy Arnold, wasn't charged. She's spent the last 50 years fighting for justice.
Zoom in: Cain's murder trial was held in November 1973 in Austin, after the judge in the case ordered a change of venue. Santos' brother, David, was the first witness.
Yes, but: Cain's attorneys appealed his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear his case and upheld his sentence.
Reality check: Unsatisfied with Cain's relatively short sentence, delegates at a 1978 League of United Latin American Citizens convention in Laredo passed a resolution demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice prosecute Cain federally.
What they're saying: Then-President Jimmy Carter wrote Bessie a letter later that year.
- "I am deeply concerned and moved by this case. The brutality and senselessness of the murder is reprehensible," Carter wrote.
- "I hope that the costly lessons of this tragedy will not be lost on our nation. Santos' death and the problems in our society which it so starkly symbolizes serve as a tragic reminder to me of the progress which we yet must make."
In the end: Carter asked the U.S. attorney general to look into the case, but the DOJ declined to bring additional charges against Cain.
Meanwhile: The Rodriguez family didn't receive an official apology from the City of Dallas until 2013, when then-Mayor Mike Rawlings made a short statement during a public conversation about race.
Separately: Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia apologized to Bessie in person — in both English and Spanish — at a memorial for Santos in 2021.
- Last year, the city unveiled a statue of Santos at Pike Park, where he used to play. The rec center at the park, where protesters gathered in the wake of the murder, is also named for him.
What's happening: There will be free screenings all weekend of the documentary "Santos Vive," which chronicles the crime and the aftermath.
- Tonight: 7-9 pm at the Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak St.
- Saturday: 7-9 pm at Greenhill School, 4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison
- Sunday: 2 pm at the Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
What's next: The Santos Rodriguez Memorial March will take place at Pike Park from 5-6pm Sunday, followed by a memorial service.
- On Tuesday, the Latino Cultural Center will host a panel discussion, "From the Playgrounds to the Newsreels: Mexican Americans Remember Dallas," at 5:30pm, followed by a legal panel discussion, "Quest for Justice: From Santos Rodriguez to Jordan Edwards."
Worthy of your time: PBS stations in Texas plan to broadcast the "Santos Vive" documentary throughout September, which is Hispanic Heritage Month.