On the night of Sunday, March 15, 2026, gunfire shattered the quiet of a residential neighborhood in far northeast Dallas. Shortly after 9:45 p.m., police were called to the parking lot of The Bentley apartment complex at 12100 Audelia Road, near the intersection with Forest Lane. When officers arrived, they found two young men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims were identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office as 20-year-old Ethan Isiah Dillard and 21-year-old Mardreus Ward, both residents of Dallas. The double homicide has left families grieving and a community searching for answers.
Ethan Isiah Dillard was a lifelong Dallas resident, known to those who loved him as a young man full of promise and genuine warmth. Family members describe him as someone whose bright spirit and ability to make others feel valued left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered. His sudden death has created a profound emptiness for those who knew him best, as they struggle to reconcile the vibrant presence he was with the reality of his absence.
Mardreus Ward, 21, was similarly cherished by his circle of family and friends. The loss of both young men in a single act of violence has amplified the grief rippling through the Audelia Road community, where neighbors and loved ones are left to process a tragedy that unfolded just steps from where people live.
In the days following the shooting, the Dallas Police Department secured the parking lot for several hours as homicide detectives processed the scene for evidence. Investigators have not released information about a possible motive or identified any suspects. The case remains active and open, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
Ethan Isiah Dillard’s funeral will take place at N.L. Jones Funeral Directors in Dallas. On Thursday, March 27, 2026, there will be a visitation; on Friday, March 28, 2026, there will be a Celebration of Life. After that, a dove release is scheduled in Ballard Park, providing a common area for family, friends, and community people to pay tribute to him and start the healing process.
The Dallas Police Department continues its homicide investigation into the March 15 shooting in the 12100 block of Audelia Road. No arrests have been announced. Anyone with information or video from the parking lot is urged to contact Detective Jelisa Reed at 469-597-9332 or jelisa.reed@dallaspolice.gov .
As the investigation proceeds, those who loved Ethan Isiah Dillard and Mardreus Ward hold onto memories of two young lives taken too soon. The community near Forest Lane and Audelia Road mourns their loss while seeking justice and answers that may help make sense of a night that ended in tragedy.