Police said one man died, another was wounded and the suspect was found in a nearby field after officers used a drone during the search.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas — A man was arrested early Sunday after police said a shooting outside Red Bird Lanes in Duncanville left one person dead and another hurt, sending officers into a neighborhood search that ended a few blocks from the business.
Police said officers were dispatched at about 12:03 a.m. April 12 to Red Bird Lanes, 1114 S. Main St., after reports of gunfire. They found an adult man with multiple gunshot wounds near the front entrance and rushed him to Methodist Charlton Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. While detectives were still working the scene, a second gunshot victim arrived at the same hospital in serious but stable condition. The suspect, identified by police as Torry Ray Smith, was later taken into custody and was being held on a murder charge, with more charges possible.
Authorities said witnesses told investigators the shooter ran from the scene on foot immediately after the gunfire. Officers set up a perimeter around the area south of Wheatland Road and west of South Main Street as they searched for the suspect. Police said the department’s Drone as First Responder program helped locate Smith in an open field west of the 900 block of South Main Street, where officers moved in and made the arrest. A weapon believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered near the arrest site, according to police. The department said in a statement that it believed the shooting was an isolated incident and that there was no ongoing threat to the public. No motive had been released by Tuesday, and investigators had not said what led up to the shooting outside the bowling alley just after midnight.
Police have not publicly identified the man who was killed, and they have released few details about the second victim beyond the person’s medical condition. Investigators also have not said whether the two victims knew each other, whether either had been inside the bowling alley before the shooting, or whether an argument took place before shots were fired. Smith, 29, was identified in local reports as being from Tyler. Police first said he was being held at the Tri-City Regional Jail on a pending murder charge, and later reports said he was in the Dallas County jail. It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether prosecutors had filed any added counts tied to the second victim. The police statement left open the possibility of more charges as detectives continued interviews, reviewed physical evidence and worked to confirm the path of events from the parking lot to the hospital.
The shooting unfolded at a business that is better known as a late-night gathering spot than a crime scene, and that contrast shaped the early response. Red Bird Lanes sits on South Main Street in Duncanville, near West Wheatland Road, in a busy commercial stretch that draws weekend traffic. By the time officers arrived, the scene had already split into two parts: the front entrance where the fatally wounded man was found, and the hospital where a second victim later appeared. That sequence quickly turned the case into both a homicide investigation and a wider search for witnesses, video and ballistic evidence. Detectives will likely use surveillance footage from the business and nearby properties, along with witness statements, to determine whether the shooting began as a targeted encounter, a dispute or some other confrontation. For now, police have said only that they do not believe the public faces an ongoing danger.
The most visible step after the shooting was the search that followed. Officers sealed off an area and used the department’s drone program to scan for movement in the dark. Police said that helped direct officers to Smith’s location in an open field, allowing the arrest to happen soon after the shooting instead of later in the day. Investigators also recovered a gun they believe was used in the offense, a piece of evidence that could become central as the case moves from arrest to formal charging. The next steps are expected to include forensic testing, interviews with witnesses and a review by prosecutors of whether charges related to the wounded victim should be added. Police also are expected to release the name of the man who died once relatives are notified, a routine step that often becomes one of the next major milestones in a homicide case.
Even with an arrest made quickly, several parts of the case remain unsettled. Police have not described the relationship, if any, between Smith and the two victims. They also have not said whether the shooting took place entirely outside or whether events inside the bowling alley may have set it in motion. Those unanswered points matter because they will shape how prosecutors frame the case and how police explain the risk to the public. For families waiting for more detail, the official account remains narrow: one man was shot to death near the entrance, another reached the hospital wounded, the suspect fled and officers caught him nearby. The scene was over in minutes, but the investigation will continue well beyond the weekend.
The case stood Tuesday with Smith in custody, one victim dead, one victim expected to survive and detectives still sorting out motive, sequence and possible added charges. The next public update is likely to come when police release the dead man’s identity or prosecutors file any additional counts.
Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.