Cleaner shot and killed in Dallas
Dallas drycleaner Francis
“Frank” Scarlata” was shot and killed in
front of his plant, Custom Cleaners, on the morning of March
19.
Local police arrested the man they believe
was responsible for the crime — Fred Tucker, 32, a
disgruntled tenant of Scarlata’s who had recently been
scheduled for eviction from his property.
Employees had discovered Scarlata, 40,
with multiple shooting wounds on the sidewalk at 9111 Forest
Late at approximately 4:30 a.m.
Several hours later, Dallas police, with
the help of officers from Richardson, arrested murder suspect
Tucker at his home in the 700 block of Woodway Lane.
Dallas police acknowledged that
surveillance video at the drycleaning plant had captured the
fatal shooting of Scarlata as he prepared to open his business
for the day.
Sergeant Larry Lewis, a homicide
supervisor who investigated the crime, told the Dallas Morning
News that the footage showed Tucker approach Scarlata and open
fire.
“It actually shows him walking up
and shooting him while [Mr. Scarlata is] on the ground,”
Sgt. Lewis said. “An employee recognized [Mr. Tucker] and
knew that there were problems with the rent.”
Sgt. Lewis also noted that the murder
weapon had not yet been recovered during the initial
investigation. Police had seized and searched Tucker’s
car and home on the day of the shooting.
According to Chief Deputy Constable Gary
Edwards of Precinct 3, Tucker and his wife were scheduled to be
evicted at 10 a.m. that morning because they were behind in
rent.
On the previous morning, constables had
posted a 24-hour notice to vacate the property. Tucker
attempted to call in and postpone the eviction, Edwards said.
“We explained to him that as
constables we operate on a court order and that the landlord is
actually in control,” Edwards explained to the press.
“As a general rule, tenants are panicked and very
concerned about being placed out on the streets. There was not
anything unusual beyond that with the dialogue that he had with
our office.”
Later in the day, another constable spoke
to Tucker, who had made plans to be out of the home by
Wednesday morning.
“He made arrangements to meet with
Scarlata’s moving crew,” Edwards added. “The
constables were to be there to maintain the peace and control
of the scene during the eviction process.”
Dr. Peter Gailiunas, a neighboring
business owner of Custom Cleaners, mentioned that Scarlata had
been in good spirits because he had recently opened a third
location. “He was a very gregarious, pleasant, easygoing
guy,” Dr. Gailiunas said.
----------
TCATA plans two-day sales seminar
The Textile Care
Allied Trades Association and
the National Association of Chemical Distributors will be
cosponsoring a two-day sales seminar in Dallas, TX, on July
10-11.
The “Innovative Selling”
seminar will offer tips for both beginners and seasoned
salespersons. Some of the topics covered will include listening
skills, ideal questions to ask, managing sales opportunities,
handling objections and selling style and identification.
The seminar will be conducted by sales
expert Bill McCormick, founder and president of Sales &
Training Results, a firm specializing in customized sales
training and consulting.
Cost is $595 for TCATA members and $695
for non-members.
For more information, contact Dave Cotter
of TCATA by calling (973) 244-1790.
 |
