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Family grapples with slayings of 2 brothers as Dallas deals with increased crime, soars past 200 homicides

Demico and Nico King were two of the 32 victims of homicide in Dallas in October — the most of any month in 2020.

Editor’s Note: In 2019, murders in Dallas spiked to the highest level in more than a decade. This year, The Dallas Morning News is tracking the city’s homicides, exploring the impact on families and neighborhoods and examining the possible causes of the rise in violence.

One in an occasional series.

Just after 6 a.m. on Oct. 7, Demico King was shot in southeast Dallas. Then, his older brother Nico was gunned down 12 hours later less than 2 miles away.

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Nico died that day at the hospital. He was 30. Demico, 29, succumbed to his injuries a week later.

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Their grandfather John H. King, who works at Peaceful Rest Funeral Home and is a minister at Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, held a double funeral service for the brothers 10 days after Demico died. Burying two grandsons was overwhelming, he said.

“Seeing two of them in here, it just broke me down,” John said. “I just couldn’t take it no more.”

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Demico and Nico King were two of the 32 victims of homicide in Dallas in October — the most of any month in 2020, according to data compiled by The Dallas Morning News. The family called the brothers and their older brother Rico “the three amigos.”

The Rev. John H. King posed with a program for the service honoring his late grandsons at...
The Rev. John H. King posed with a program for the service honoring his late grandsons at Peaceful Rest Funeral Home in Dallas on Oct. 30, 2020. King's grandsons, Nico and Demico King, were shot in October and died a week apart. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

Last month’s slayings propelled the city beyond 200 homicides for the year, a number it reached last year for the first time since 2007. The city is on pace for a deadlier 2020. Dallas didn’t reach its 200th homicide of 2019 until December.

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The bloodshed hasn’t let up in November. At least 24 people had been killed as of Monday, pushing the city’s total for the year to at least 235, according to The News’ data. Dallas police last Friday charged a man in at least three homicides that took place in the past month.

Dallas police report fewer slayings this year: 222. While The News is tracking all homicides committed in Dallas, the Police Department reports “murders” — and excludes, for example, cases that are considered justifiable homicides.

After the recent increase in homicides, top police officials held multiple news conferences to address the rising violence.

After the shooting death of rapper MO3 on Interstate 35E two weeks ago, Assistant Chief Avery Moore said many of 2020′s homicides had occurred between people who knew each other.

Last week, after an especially bloody weekend, Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez said the shift in recent weeks was toward stranger-on-stranger crime.

Police said they are increasing resources in four parts of the city deemed hot spots for violent crime. That includes a greater presence of officers, but outgoing Chief U. Reneé Hall would not specify which areas, citing concerns about her officers’ safety.

The department’s southeast and southwest patrol divisions have been hit hardest by violent crime, according to police officials. The News’ data shows that of the 56 homicides in October and November, the southeast division has had the most with 15. Twelve were in the northeast division, including a triple slaying at a strip club, and nine each were in the south central and southeast divisions.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Nov. 18 that he will deploy state troopers to Dallas to assist police with investigations. They will not patrol the city.

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Family life

Nico King was born in Dallas on New Year’s Eve 1989. His mother, Antanique Johnson, said he was the glue that kept his family — most notably his brothers — together. And although he was the middle child, Nico always seemed to act like the eldest, she said.

“As long as you didn’t bother his family, he was good,” said his dad, Richard King. “He was a good guy.”

Demico, born 10 months later on Halloween 1990, was the youngest. He was an outgoing and funny person, family members said, and he enjoyed playing pranks from time to time.

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“He was like the life of the party, like his mom,” Antanique said. “If you were having a bad day, he was gonna make your day good.”

John, the brothers’ grandfather, said Demico often came by the funeral home to check on him whenever he worked later than usual. John said he used to tease Demico for scaring him every time he made a surprise visit late at night.

“I used to say, ‘Boy, you’re gonna get hurt by sneaking up on me!’” John said. “He would always come by to see how I was doing, and the others would come back on holidays.”

This year’s holidays would have been John’s first time seeing Demico and Nico in several weeks. But that chance will never come.

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“I’m still Paw-Paw to them, but they are no longer with me,” he said. “It’s a big void right now.”

Both brothers had children of their own. Nico had three children and Demico had seven, three of whom are under 1 year old, Antanique said.

Antanique Johnson (left) and Richard King (second from right), who lost their sons Demico...
Antanique Johnson (left) and Richard King (second from right), who lost their sons Demico and Nico King last month, pose with photos of them outside their Dallas home, Thursday, November 19, 2020. Joining them from left are their cousins Kelsey Johnson, Chardondra Johnson and Antanique Ray. The two were shot on the same day and died within 10 days of each other. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

The day of the shootings

On Oct. 7, Antanique received a call informing her that Demico was hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The family, including Nico, raced to the hospital to see him, she said.

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Nico was furious, family members said.

“Nico left the hospital — he couldn’t take it,” Antanique said.

The family left the hospital intending to return later that night. They were told Demico’s condition was stable.

That evening, just as they were about to leave their homes, the family received another grim call.

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“They told us that Nico had been shot and that he was being rushed to the hospital,” said the brothers’ father, Richard. “When we got to the hospital, they said he had a 50-50 chance. But he didn’t survive.”

The family suspects that Nico went to confront Demico’s attacker to find out what happened. Police would not confirm whether that happened but said that the cases are related.

Richard said he believes that learning of Nico’s death worsened Demico’s condition.

“He started getting worse and worse and worse,” he said. “He was probably thinking, ‘This is my brother; he tried to save me and it’d be wrong to not go with him.’”

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Demico died Oct. 14.

“I’m numb,” Antanique said. “I could not fathom this would ever happen to my boys. I didn’t raise my kids like that.”

Rico is still coping with the loss of his younger brothers.

“I’ve never experienced life without my brothers,” he said. “It’s like someone taking your right and left arms.”

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On Oct. 20, Dominique Carter was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail on a murder charge in Nico’s death. The 26-year-old is being held on a $500,000 bond. His attorney, Paul Johnson, could not be reached for comment.

No one has been arrested in Demico’s death, police said.

For the first few weeks after her sons’ deaths, Antanique said, she turned to God to cope with the loss. But she said she heard little from police about what led up to the shootings, and then she became more impatient.

She wants more answers about what happened leading up to the shootings.

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Their father, Richard, said he has friends who lost their kids to violent crime. He tried to be sympathetic, but he could never relate, he said.

“I really thought I felt this pain until I lost kids of my own,” Richard said. “Can’t nobody get you prepared for this. It’s like a hate that lingers on and lingers on.”

The family wants to start an organization to help mentor and advocate for the lives of young Black men in the form of marches and walks — anything to push the case further and to allow people to see their sons as more than just a number.

“I need the police to do what they need to do unless they want more Black people dead,” Antanique said. “I don’t want nobody else’s kids dead. That’s the way I feel.”