Louisiana Man Charged in Garland Murder After Parking Lot Fight Leaves 19-Year-Old Woman Dead Near North Garland Avenue

GARLAND, TX — A late-night confrontation in a Garland parking lot turned deadly over the weekend, leaving a 19-year-old woman dead and a Louisiana man facing a murder charge. Garland police say the shooting happened after a group of people who knew one another gathered outside a business in the 5300 block of North Garland Avenue.

Officers responding to the call around 11 p.m. Sunday were told shots had been fired. When they arrived, they found an unconscious woman in the parking lot and bystanders already trying to help her. Police joined those efforts and rushed her to a local hospital, where she died.

Police identify the victim as Zaria Calhoun

Investigators later identified the victim as 19-year-old Zaria Calhoun. Garland police have not said what the group was doing in the parking lot before the argument began, but they said the situation escalated quickly from a fight to gunfire.

The location of the shooting, along a busy North Garland Avenue stretch, became the center of a homicide investigation after emergency crews and police converged on the scene. Officials have not released further details about what triggered the confrontation or how many people were present when it turned violent.

Investigators say the people involved knew each other

According to Garland police, the incident was not a random attack. Their initial investigation indicates that the people gathered at the parking lot knew one another before the dispute broke out.

That detail has become a key part of the case because it suggests the violence grew out of a personal conflict rather than an encounter with strangers. Police have not said whether the disagreement was connected to any broader dispute, and they have not described the sequence of events that led directly to the shooting.

For now, investigators are treating the case as an active homicide investigation and continuing to gather information from witnesses and others who were at the scene.

Demarcus Deshaun Hawkins faces a murder charge

Garland police identified 20-year-old Demarcus Deshaun Hawkins of Louisiana as the suspect in Calhoun’s death. He has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting.

Police have not said how Hawkins was taken into custody or what evidence led investigators to identify him as the person responsible. His arrest marks the first major update in a case that began with a parking lot disturbance and ended with a fatal shooting and a homicide charge.

Hawkins remains in custody with no bond set

Hawkins is being held at the Garland Detention Center, and no bond has been set, according to police. That means he remains in custody as the case moves forward through the criminal justice process.

Authorities have not announced a court date or provided additional charging details beyond the murder count. The investigation remains open, and police say they are still working to piece together exactly what happened before, during and after the gunfire.

What Garland police have not yet released

Several questions remain unanswered, including what brought the group to the parking lot and what sparked the argument. Police also have not said how many shots were fired, whether a weapon was recovered, or whether anyone else may face charges.

For Garland residents, the case is the latest reminder of how quickly a personal dispute can become a fatal shooting. Detectives continue to seek out more information as they build the timeline of the night Calhoun was killed and Hawkins was arrested.