The gunfire broke out just before 10 p.m. at Breezy Hill Park, a public recreational space in the 300 block of New Hope Street in Terrell, Texas. When officers arrived, they found 42-year-old Kenneth W. Mims of Dallas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries.
Mims was not from Terrell. He had come from Dallas, though it remains unclear why he was at the park that night. What is known is that someone opened fire, striking him multiple times, and by the time police arrived, the shooter was gone. No other injuries were reported. The park, typically a place where families gather and children play, became the scene of a homicide investigation.
The Terrell Police Department has not identified any suspects. Detectives are reviewing witness statements and collecting evidence from the park, but the case remains open with few public details. The shooting appears isolated, authorities said, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. But for those who knew Kenneth Mims, those assurances offer little comfort.
Family and friends have been left in shock. Mims was a Dallas resident, a man whose sudden death has sent ripples of grief through both Dallas and Terrell. Those who loved him are struggling to understand why he was at a park on a Sunday night, why someone shot him, why he never made it home.
The community of Terrell has rallied in mourning. Residents have expressed sorrow over the violence in a public space where such incidents are rare. Local support networks have offered condolences to Mims’s loved ones, and tributes have highlighted the sudden, senseless loss of a man whose life was cut short.
The Terrell Police Department continues to investigate, urging anyone with information or video from the area around Breezy Hill Park on the night of April 5 to come forward. Detectives are working to piece together what happened, but for Mims’s family, the answers cannot come fast enough.
Kenneth W. Mims was 42 years old. He was from Dallas. He was shot multiple times at a park in Terrell on a Sunday night. He died at a hospital. No one has been arrested. The investigation continues. And a family is left to grieve, to wait, to hope that someone saw something and will finally speak. Rest in peace, Kenneth. You deserved better. You will not be forgotten.
