Paul Dean Harris III, 21, who Dallas police said presented as female, was killed in the early morning hours of April 17, 2026, in South Dallas. Paul, who was affectionately known as Paris, was originally from Wichita Falls, Texas, where she attended school and graduated from Wichita Falls High School’s “Old High” class of 2023. She later moved to Dallas, where those who loved her remembered her as someone who lived openly, joyfully, and unapologetically, a person who could fill a room
with laughter and make people smile even while testing their patience.
The shooting happened around 2:19 a.m. in the 1800 block of Park Row Avenue. Dallas police said officers responded to a shooting call and found that someone had been shot by an unknown suspect. Early reports described the victim as being found in the street with a gunshot wound after what investigators believed was an altercation with someone known to the victim. Dallas Fire-Rescue transported Paul to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. The Dallas County Medical Examiner later identified hher as Paul Harris, and a local report citing medical examiner records said her time of death was 2:45 a.m. at Baylor University Medical Center, with the manner of death listed as homicide.
In the first hours after the shooting, police had not yet released Paul’s name, and the suspect was still being sought. Investigators said the shooting appeared to have followed a dispute, but the exact relationship between Paul and the person who shot him was not immediately clear. Some reports noted that the case was being looked at in the context of Paul’s gender presentation, and at least one local source reported that some were raising the possibility of a hate-crime angle, though police announcements available online did not state that a hate-crime charge had been filed.
By April 20, 2026, Dallas police announced an arrest. Richard Coleman, 30, was taken into custody in connection with Paul’s death. Police said Coleman was charged with murder and placed in the Dallas County Jail. A local LGBTQ-focused Dallas outlet reported that, as of late morning on April 21, Coleman remained incarcerated and no bond amount was listed in jail records at that time. Online police updates did not provide a detailed account of what investigators believe led up to the shooting, nor did they publicly describe a motive.
Paul’s death left her family grieving a sudden and violent loss. His obituary remembered er as Paul Dean Harris III, born August 28, 2004, in Wichita Falls to Stacee Wiley and Bobby Harris. It said she had moved to Dallas and embraced life fully, describing him as “a ray of sunshine” and “the life of the party.” Her mother, Stacee Wiley, also described the heartbreak of losing her youngest, saying her death left a hole that could never be filled. As the case moved forward with Coleman charged with murder, Dallas police continued to ask anyone with information to contact Detective Adam Joslin and reference case number 054325-2026.
