Seagoville Flashback: The Fountain Drive Park Shooting That Shook a Quiet Neighborhood
It was a Monday evening like any other in Seagoville until a 9 1 1 call changed everything. On December 2, 2024, at about 5:50 PM, dispatchers received a report of a man shot at a community park in the 600 block of Fountain Drive. What followed would become one of the most talked about cases in recent Seagoville history, and it would not reach a turning point until months later, hundreds of miles away in a Dallas jail booking room.
A Call That Brought Everyone Running
Seagoville Police Officers, Seagoville Fire Department personnel, and Care Flite EMS medics all responded to the scene. When officers arrived, they found an adult male sitting on the ground near a gazebo within the park. He had been shot in the torso and was still conscious. Medics moved quickly, administering emergency care before rushing him to a nearby hospital.
Despite those efforts, the victim later died from his injuries.
What Witnesses Saw
According to the Seagoville Police Department, witnesses described the moments before the shooting. The victim and another man had been sitting together in a blue Hyundai passenger car when gunfire erupted. Both men bolted from the vehicle. The victim ran roughly 60 feet to the gazebo, where he collapsed and was later found by responders. The second man fled the park on foot and down the street, disappearing before officers arrived.
At the time, investigators called the case in its infantile stages, and the victim’s identity was withheld pending confirmation from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office and notification of next of kin.
The Victim Identified
Days later, the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed what the community had feared. The man who died was 39 year old William Dean.
A Break in the Case, Months Later
For more than three months, the shooting remained unsolved. Investigators eventually connected the Fountain Drive case to a 17 year old suspect already wanted in connection with a string of armed robberies arranged through Facebook Marketplace. According to FOX 4 Dallas Fort Worth, the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force had issued multiple warrants for Daquan Damon Blanton, tying him to robberies in Dallas, Garland, and Balch Springs, as well as the Seagoville murder.
The case took an unusual turn when Blanton was reportedly told by someone that he had been featured in a FOX 4 Trackdown segment about the unsolved crimes. Rather than staying hidden, Blanton allegedly found the story online himself and called the phone number listed at the bottom of the article to speak with the detective working the case.
He was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Dallas on March 9, 2025.
According to reporting from the Irving Weekly, investigators say the Fountain Drive shooting began as an attempted robbery. Authorities allege that Blanton and others had been arranging meetups with people selling jewelry and watches on Facebook, only to rob them during the exchange. Dean is believed to have arranged to meet with Blanton over a watch sale, and the meeting ended in gunfire.
Blanton, then 17 years old, was booked into the Dallas County Jail and charged with capital murder, theft, and aggravated robbery. His total bond was set at $1,460,000.
A Reminder for the Community
This case is a sobering reminder of how a routine online transaction can turn dangerous. Seagoville Police continue to encourage residents to take precautions when buying or selling items through social media marketplaces, including meeting in well lit public locations and avoiding situations where a meetup cannot be verified ahead of time.
As always, anyone with information related to ongoing investigations is urged to contact the Seagoville Police Department at (972) 287 2999.
Sources: City of Seagoville Police Department press release; FOX 4 Dallas Fort Worth; Irving Weekly; NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth; WFAA
