4 slain, 2 critically wounded at Irving car wash

IRVING - Four people were dead and two in critical condition today after an early-morning shooting attack at a full-service car wash in south Irving. <br><br>An employee arrived at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash

Monday, March 20th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

IRVING - Four people were dead and two in critical condition today after an early-morning shooting attack at a full-service car wash in south Irving.

An employee arrived at the Mi-T-Fine Car Wash near the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Pioneer Drive about 7:40 a.m. and found the carnage.

"We haven't seen anything this gruesome, this vicious in quite some time,'' said David Tull, a spokesman for the Irving Police Department.

Three of the victims were dead at the scene, Tull said. Police would not say whether they were men or women. A man died later at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Two other men were listed in critical condition at Parkland, said a hospital spokesman who refused to identify himself. The hospital released no further information on the victims.
"Right now, we are looking at a possible motive. We believe it may be robbery,'' Tull said.

A woman who answered Mi-T-Fine's main office telephone number said the company did not wish to comment on the shooting. The woman did not identify herself.

The slayings attracted a crowd of onlookers, many of whom said they were friends or relatives of the victims.

"Have you ever lost a relative? That's like six relatives to me," said Lance Turner, a former car wash employee. "I come up here every other day just to talk to friends."

One distraught woman arrived at the scene concerned about the fate of her son, an employee at the car wash. He was safe; they had an emotional reunion minutes later in the parking lot.

Neighbors said they didn't hear any gunshots but described several irregularities this morning. The car wash bay door was open about 7:15 a.m., and the service manager podium that is normally outside the bay was not set up, they said.

"Nothing was set up normally like it should have been," said Bo Tant, who lives nearby.
Friends and co-workers said car wash employees normally arrive at 7 a.m. and open the business at 8 a.m.

One man said he dropped his son off for work at the car wash this morning only to hear about the shooting later. His 21-year-old son was not among the victims.

"I almost had a heart attack" on hearing the news, said Yantes Shields.

Dennis Doiron, who works at Veach Land Surveying, located next to the car wash, said when he got to his business about 7:15 a.m. the car wash looked closed.

"It was calm and quiet when I first drove up," he said. "I didn't see anybody there. Then ... I heard the police sirens. I didn't know what was going on. I'm in shock. It's unbelievable."

Doiron said his business is located in a strip mall and the car wash, which he described as big, is off by itself. Doiron said the car wash appeared to have a large number of employees and that as far as he knew, the car wash has not had problems with robberies previously.

Pete Reyes, owner of a nearby jewelry store, said he called the police two weeks ago because people he believed to be employees were still at the car wash after hours and that they threw a beer bottle at him. The car wash closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays. "Last night I didn't hear anything," Reyes told WFAA-TV.

WFAA-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.