Man killed, wife injured in stabbing during ‘brutal’ robbery in Arlington, police say
A man stabbed a married couple, killing the husband, during a robbery Wednesday night as they walked on an Arlington street near their home, police said.
The ferocious killing occurred about 9 p.m. in the 6400 block of South Collins Street, police said.
The assailant repeatedly stabbed the victims with a knife after he demanded property from them, police said.
The suspect, whose name police do not know, walked or ran toward the Dollar General store at 1200 Southeast Parkway and had not been arrested. Police believe that he got into a car in which there was at least one other person who was waiting for him. The car sped away and soon after struck a woman who was walking a dog.
Islam Duly, 44, was pronounced dead at a hospital, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Duly’s wife was treated for serious injuries and released Thursday morning from a hospital, Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook said. A person driving in the area called police after seeing her running after she was stabbed.
The attacker stabbed the victims in the neck and head, Cook said. Islam Duly was stabbed more than a dozen times.
“What makes no sense to any of us ... they did not resist this robbery at all, but they were still brutally attacked,” Cook said.
After the stabbings, a 20-year-old woman walking in the 900 block of Southeast Parkway was hit by the assailant’s car as it turned onto Rising Meadows Drive. The woman did not get a good look at the vehicle, described only as a sedan, but said the driver was speeding, police said.
Surveillance video shows the car stopped and a passenger got out. The woman overheard someone yelling from the car to grab her wallet, which led detectives to believe robbery was also the motive in that attack, Cook said. The woman did not have a wallet or other belongings with her, he said.
The woman’s dog was killed and she was taken to a hospital for treatment.
“She’s lucky to be alive,” Cook said. “She was thrown into a neighbor’s yard from the impact.”
Detectives asked residents of the South Collins Street, Southeast Parkway and Rising Meadows Drive area to check their home security systems to see if cameras recorded video of the suspect or his car between about 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators believe that the assailant was in the car going west on Southeast Parkway from South Collins Street after the robbery and stabbings. As the car turned north onto Rising Meadows, the woman and her dog were struck.
Police said the assailant was described as a young Black man with a skinny build wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, jeans and a mask that partially covered the front of his face.
Duly and his wife were out for a neighborhood walk, something they did regularly, police said. The wife told police that as the couple walked south on South Collins Street from Southeast Parkway, the attacker pushed her husband down to the ground and assaulted him. The wife also reported that the man punched and stabbed her several times. She told police the suspect then again approached her husband and demanded property and stabbed him before fleeing.
Police were investigating whether any similar attacks have occurred in nearby cities. Cook said detectives also will look into whether a robbery on Monday at a 7-Eleven convenience store in the same area of Arlington may be connected. A clerk was also stabbed in that case despite being cooperative with the robber, he said.
“We are really needing the public’s help on this case to bring the person or persons responsible to justice,” interim Arlington police Chief Kevin Kolbye wrote in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by these acts of violence.”
Police asked anyone with information call Detective Mac Simmons at 817-459-5735. A person with a tip can offer it anonymously by calling Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477.
Otto Lowe, who lives near the stabbing scene, said he had never heard of such a brutal attack in his 21 years there. He said he and his family will be more aware of their surroundings and who is in their neighborhood.
Lowe said the scariest element of the killing is that it could have happened to anyone. He and his family like to take walks and his children sometimes come home late, so it is a big cause for concern to him.
Lowe said he will be looking for a layer of security beyond the cameras he already has.
The acute violence made Lowe question whether he should consider moving.
“We’ve seen things in the neighborhood over the years, but not like this,” he said. “It’s disheartening.”
Clint Artzt, who lives across the street from Lowe, said he believes the man who stabbed the couple preys on neighborhoods like his because most people there have some sort of routine like going for a walk at a certain time or being so comfortable that they may leave their doors open.
The hit-and-run occurred down the street from where Lowe and Artzt live.
Rocio Galaviz said when police officers showed up at her door asking if she had recordings of what happened, she felt sad about the crime, but also because she wanted to help, but could not.
“I felt helpless,” Galaviz said.
Galaviz said she planned to take caution and stay home as much as she can.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 12:10 AM.
