On the morning of July 24, 1973, in Dallas, Texas, United States, 30-year-old Dallas police officer Darrell Lee Cain murdered Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old Mexican-American child. Officer Cain and Officer Roy R. Arnold were investigating reports of a burglary at a Fina gas station when they took Santos Rodriguez and his 13-year-old brother David Rodriguez from their home for an impromptu interrogation over the burglary. Cain shot Santos Rodriguez while conducting Russian roulette on the brothers in an attempt to force a confession from them.

Cain was found guilty of murder with malice, and was sentenced to the minimum five years in prison. He was released on September 11, 1979, after serving the minimum two-and-a-half-year sentence.

Parties involved

Santos Rodriguez Santos Rodriguez was born on November 7, 1960, and was the child of Bessie Garcia and David Rodriguez.Death Certificate, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Santos Rodriguez, 51805. July 24, 1973. Rec'd August 10, 1973. He was reported to have been tall. At the time of his death, Santos and his brother lived with an adoptive grandfather, 84-year-old Carlos Minez, at 2921 N. Pearl St. in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas. Their mother, Bessie, was serving a five-year sentence in the Goree women's unit of Huntsville State Prison. She had been convicted for the April 26, 1971 killing of 62-year-old Leonard Brown, her boyfriend. Santos and his brother, David, were placed in the home of Minez, who had helped care for Bessie during her childhood, at their mother's request after her conviction. The three youngest Rodriguez siblings, Ruben, Robert, and Juanita, were placed in foster homes.

Santos was a student at William B. Travis Elementary School at 3001 McKinney Ave. Santos and his brother, David, had previous run-ins with the law over shoplifting and truancy, and Santos was described by his teachers as naive and easily influenced, deep thinking, gentle and a fan of classical music. Teachers would also report to The Dallas Morning News that they "kept feeling all along that something was going to happen to those boys". Supervisors at the Pike Park Community Center where Santos played described him as someone who was willing to volunteer to help clean the park and community center. Santos played soccer at Pike Park, and friends described how he played as a starter and could kick a soccer ball halfway down a field. His mother reported that he enjoyed listening to the band Santana, and loved eating enchiladas and hotdogs.

David Rodriguez David Rodriguez was Santos's older brother. He was also a student at William B. Travis Elementary at the time of Santos's death. David was in the police car with his brother when Santos was shot, and witnessed his death. David currently lives in Dallas, Texas.

Darrell L. Cain Darrell Lee Cain, 30, had worked at the Dallas Police Department for five years when he committed the murder of Santos. He was born in Benkelman, Nebraska, on March 31, 1943. He died on March 17, 2019. He was married in 1964, and had one son at the time of the murder. He served in the Army from 1962 to 1965, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Spec 4.

Cain had been previously involved in the controversial death of 18-year-old Michael MoreheadDeath Certificate, Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. Michael Morehead, 25089. April 20, 1970. Rec'd May 14, 1970. (also spelled Michael Moorhead) on April 20, 1970. At around 3:10 AM, Cain and another officer, Jeffery L. Kirksey, were investigating a silent burglar alarm that had been set off at the Empire Bar & Grill at 3307 Munger Ave. They found Morehead and a relative burgling the restaurant. Morehead and his 26-year-old relative fled the scene, but Morehead was shot three times as he fled, leading to his death. In total, Cain had fired five shots and Kirksey fired eight. Morehead's grandmother produced recorded statements from witnesses claiming that Morehead had been shot while he was on the ground, and that he had begged the officers not to shoot him. While witnesses to the shooting later changed their statements following questioning by the FBI, investigations of the shooting revealed that the officers had shot into the grassy field where Morehead lay. No charges were ever brought against Cain or Kirksey, but they were moved to another patrol area in part due to public pressure and protests. Michael Morehead was the son of George Morehead and Carrie Young. He lived at 2123 Johnson Place, and was buried in Glen Oak Memorial Cemetery in Dallas. Later that year, Cain shot and wounded a man in a Dallas city park.

Roy R. Arnold Roy Arnold, 23, was a three-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department at the time of Santos's death. His father was police sergeant Horace "Hap" Arnold. Arnold was not charged in the Santos Rodriguez murder case. On August 3, 1973, he was dismissed from the Dallas Police force for failure to file a full report of the night of the shooting. A resident of the neighborhood where the murder occurred reported to the Dallas Police on August 2, 1973, that they had heard a gunshot from the area before the shooting of Santos. Further investigation revealed that Cain and Arnold had witnessed two youths breaking and entering the Fina gas station and that Arnold had fired one shot towards the suspects in an attempt to warn them from fleeing. The suspects escaped, and Arnold failed to report firing a warning shot. Questions arose during the murder investigation regarding whether or not Arnold had enough time to intervene in the Russian roulette interrogation held by Cain, or whether Arnold could have acted to prevent Santos's death.

Background

Santos Rodriguez lived in the Little Mexico neighborhood, a historically Mexican-American neighborhood that was built in part due to immigration patterns and segregation practices in Dallas. By the 1950s, Mexican-American and students of Hispanic and Latino origin could attend one of four segregated elementary schools: William B. Travis, Cumberland Hills, Benito Juarez, and City Park. Crozier Tech High School served as the segregated high school for the Mexican-American communities of Dallas. By 1970, Mexican Americans made up around 8% of the city's population, or around 40,000 people. While early Mexican-American organizations tried to assimilate into Anglo Dallas society, Mexican-American students still faced segregated schools that lacked resources compared to Anglo schools, as well as structural racism. The first Mexican-American City Council member, Anita Martinez, was elected in 1969, and at the time of the murder Pedro Aguirre served on the City Council. This time period was also marked by the rise of the Chicano movement, which had begun its development in the mid 1960s with the grape strikes of California and developed into a national Civil Rights movement.

Murder Police records noted a burglary call on Tuesday, July 24, 1973, at 2:10 AM at a Fina gas station located at 2301 Cedar Springs in Dallas. There are conflicting reports on how and when Cain and Arnold arrived at the scene of the burglary. An article from the Dallas Times Herald stated that Cain and Arnold reported to the Fina gas station after receiving information from police dispatch that there was a robbery in progress, and that the suspect(s) had fled by the time police arrived. In contrast, Arnold was dismissed from the Police force in August 1973 for failing to report firing a warning shot at a suspect fleeing the gas station, indicating that the officers arrived at the robbery and witnessed the suspects as they fled or that Arnold fired upon a civilian in the area. According to The Dallas Morning News, Arnold reported that he believed the suspects were David and Santos Rodriguez. Cain and Arnold went to the home where the Rodriguez brothers were living and took them into custody at around 2:30 AM. There was no warrant issued, but the officers claimed they had received permission from their guardian, Carlos Minez. Minez reportedly spoke rudimentary English,Hernandez, Osmin R. (2016). !Justicia for santos!: Mexican American civil rights and the santos rodríguez affair in dallas, Texas, 1969–1978 (Order No. 10113202). p. 78 Ethnic NewsWatch; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1802267809). and there is no record that either officer spoke Spanish.

David and Santos were handcuffed and put into Arnold's police car without being given time to change their clothes or put on shoes, and were taken to the gas station for an impromptu interrogation. The vehicle was parked in a vacant lot behind the gas station with Arnold in the driver's seat, Cain in the seat behind Arnold, Santos in the passenger seat, and David seated behind him. Arnold questioned the boys about the burglary, but neither would confess to committing the crime. Much of the questioning was towards Santos. Cain later testified that after the boys denied criminal involvement he told Arnold that he would make the boys talk, and Cain took his .357 Magnum revolver and removed the bullets in a way that the removed bullets would make a noise as they hit together. Cain claimed he visually checked the cylinder and did not see any bullets left in his gun. Cain took his gun and aimed it at Santos, warning the boy to tell him the truth about the burglary. Santos refused to confess, and Cain pulled the trigger, clicking an empty chamber. Cain again threatened to shoot Santos if he did not confess, and according to later testimony by Cain, Santos's last words were "I am telling the truth." Cain pulled the trigger again at Santos, and this time the gun fired. The bullet struck below Santos's left ear, penetrating his brain and causing his death instantly. Cain and Arnold quickly exited the car, leaving David, who was still handcuffed and unable to exit the vehicle, alone with Santos's body. David told his brother “You are going to be alright” as blood began to seep onto David's feet. David would be left in the vehicle with his brother for around 10 minutes, still handcuffed.

Dallas Police Officer Jerry Foster was also at the scene at the time of Santos's killing. Foster was on patrol when he responded to a police broadcast reporting the burglary at the gas station. He investigated the scene and found that a desk drawer was open in the station, a rear window was broken out, and a cigarette machine had been pried open. Foster witnessed the arrival of Cain, Arnold, and the Rodriguez brothers in Arnold's car. Foster reported that he yelled out to Arnold that he had received information that a third individual was suspected in the burglary. Foster approached Arnold's car and laid his arm on the car door when he heard the shooting of Santos. Foster saw Santos's head slump over and saw blood coming from Santos's head. Foster heard Cain scream before Cain quickly exited the vehicle and stated: "My God, My God, What have I done, I didn't mean to do it." Arnold also left the vehicle and vomited. Moments after Cain exited the vehicle, Foster took Cain's gun from him. Five live rounds and one empty cartridge were in the gun. Officer David Rowe, who was also on patrol that morning, responded to a radio call about a boy being accidentally shot. Rowe arrived at the scene minutes after hearing the radio call, and saw that both Rodriguez brothers were still handcuffed and in the police car, with Santos in the front seat "all bloody". Officer Rowe would later attend Santos's funeral. Santos's pulse was checked and an ambulance was called. Santos was pronounced dead on arrival at Parkland Hospital.

Aftermath and responses