Fifty two years after a Dallas police officer wrongfully detained and killed 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez, the Dallas community again gathered to commemorate his short life.
The memorial held at Pike Park, where Santos loved to play, featured organizers and elected officials who shared their connection to the Rodriguez family and called on the community to continue fighting for justice in his name.
The boy’s killing shocked the city, and marked a pivotal moment for community organizing in Little Mexico, the neighborhood where Santos lived that is now part of Uptown.
Days after the preteen’s death, protesters marched through downtown Dallas demanding justice.
Breaking News
Signs and posters remain during a memorial gathering for Santos Rodriguez by the city of Dallas, on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Pike Park in Dallas. The murder of Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old Mexican American, by a police officer in 1973 marked a pivotal moment for community organizing in Little Mexico, the former neighborhood where Santos lived. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
It was about 2 a.m. on July 24, 1973, when Dallas police went to the home of Santos and his brother while investigating a vending machine robbery at a gas station in what is now the Victory Park area. Then-Officer Darrell Cain pointed a gun at Santos in a Russian roulette-style interrogation, trying to force the child to confess to stealing $8 in change from a vending machine.
Santos denied being involved in any theft and was shot in the head while handcuffed inside Cain’s patrol car. Santos’ then 13-year-old brother, David, was also detained and witnessed the shooting.
Investigators later found that fingerprints found at the crime scene did not belong to David or Santos.
Cain was later charged and convicted of murder with malice. He was sentenced to five years in prison, only serving half that time. Nicolas Quintanilla, a speaker at Thursday’s event, called Cain’s punishment “minor” and “offensive.”
The Rodriguez family didn’t receive an apology from the city until 2013, given by then-Mayor Mike Rawlings. Former Dallas police Chief Eddie García apologized to Santos’ family in 2021. Through the decades, the story of Santos has echoed as protests continue over police injustice. Lt. Eddie Reyes attended on behalf of the Dallas Police Department on Thursday.
Santos’ mother, Bessie Rodriguez, died in 2023, two years after receiving the apology from Dallas police. His brother, David, is still alive but was unable to attend on Thursday.
Hadi Jawad, co-founder and president of Human Rights Dallas, called Santos’ death an important, if painful, chapter in Dallas’ history. He has been working with fellow community organizers since 2013 to commemorate Santos’ life each year on the anniversary of his killing by police.
“It teaches us so much … about our social fabric, the morals, the historical aspect,” he said. “This tragedy affected the Hispanic community as severely — it was as impactful — as the assassination of John Kennedy.”
Jawad said when he first approached city officials about acknowledging Santos’ death, they thought the community had moved on. The healing is far from over, he said, so he kept pushing for a celebration of the child.
A statue of Santos now stands in Pike Park, one of the last remaining vestiges of Little Mexico. Jawad said he hopes the park can serve as a gathering place for anyone who has lost loved ones from gun violence.
Texas Sen. Royce West, who was in attendance on Thursday, said he was a student when Santos was killed and remembers it vividly. While he celebrated the progress that has been made since 1973, he reminded the community that those gains need to be protected and preserved.
“We cannot forget what occurred. You cannot forget what occurred,” he said. “Once the baton is passed to you, you need to make certain that on this day, and each and every day, you remember Santos.”
A representative from U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s office read a proclamation from the Dallas congresswoman.
“Over 50 years ago, our city was shaken by a tragedy that stole a young life and exposed deep wounds that many in our communities still carry. But from that pain, a powerful movement grew,” the statement read. “I stand with you in honoring his memory and fighting for a Dallas where justice isn’t delayed and dignity isn’t optional.”
In addition to community speakers, Fabian Herrera Jr., a dancer based in Dallas, performed a piece Thursday in Santos’ memory with his wife, Madi Frampton-Herrera, and their daughter.
Fabian Herrera of the Herrera Dance Project performs during a memorial gathering for Santos Rodriguez by the city of Dallas, on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Pike Park in Dallas. The murder of Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old Mexican American, by a police officer in 1973 marked a pivotal moment for community organizing in Little Mexico, the former neighborhood where Santos lived. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
The dance tribute originated from a production Herrera’s dance company organized last year called Echoes of Justice, which was dedicated to Santos. He was inspired to choreograph the dance because he realized many people in Dallas were unaware of that piece of the city’s history.
“When you tap into people’s feelings, you can get them to care and find meaning,” Herrera said. “It makes you think on a critical level about what you can do to contribute change or what you can do to educate others on the story.”