Arthur Dawson left his Oak Cliff apartment at 9:45 p.m. on Halloween night, headed for the MS Express convenience store around the corner at Chaucer Place and Camp Wisdom Road. He didn't make it back to the apartment complex until 11 p.m., when a neighbor spotted him staggering on the sidewalk, bruised and battered.
Dawson, a 58-year-old disabled military veteran, told police that he'd just left the convenience store and was walking back when he was approached by three young men, one of whom was wearing a suede jacket and was noticeably taller than the others.
They called him "Old School" and asked him what he was doing. Then they began hitting him until he fell to the ground, at which point the tall one with the suede jacket pulled out a rifle and began beating his shoulders with the wooden stock. When they were done, they stole Dawson's wallet and house slippers.
Dawson suffered several lacerations on the right side of his face and could barely move his shoulder, which was in pain. He was taken to Charlton Methodist hospital for further evaluation.
