OAK CLIFF, TX – A teen father in Texas is being sought by authorities in relation to the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old new mother, who had given birth just three weeks prior to her death. The victim, Ikea Imari Hood, was a popular high school dancer in the Lancaster High School community.
Sunday’s shooting of Hood took place around 10:40 a.m. in Oak Cliff, a neighborhood in Dallas, according to police. A warrant for murder was issued the next day for Trevon Darnell Wright, also 17 years old. According to police sources in a statement, Wright is being pointed out as the father of Hood’s newborn child.
Nyree Preston, who runs Next Level Community Dance Group where Hood was an active participant, expressed her shock at the news. She fondly remembered Hood as a vibrant young woman committed to her dance practice and was always enthusiastic about learning and developing new dance steps.
An email was sent out on Sunday night by officials from Lancaster High School to parents, acknowledging the difficult timing of the news, which coincided with the students’ return from winter break.
The school pledged to ensure additional counselors would be available on campus to support students coping with the tragic loss of their deceased classmate.