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DALLAS – From rare celestial events to heartbreaking local tragedies and high-profile criminal trials, 2025 was a year of headlines that gripped the region. Based on FOX 4 News data, here are the 10 stories that resonated most with our audience this year.
1. Dallas ICE Facility Shooting 
Family says ICE shooting victim tried to shield others
One week after the deadly sniper ambush at the Dallas ICE detention center, we’re getting a better picture of what happened as the shots were fired. Family members say Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez was fatally shot while trying to shield another ICE detainee.
A targeted attack at the Dallas ICE facility on North Stemmons Freeway left the community on edge on Sept. 24. Around 6:30 a.m., a gunman opened fire, striking three detainees. Two victims died and one was critically injured.
Police sources told FOX 4 the shooter acted as a sniper from a nearby roof. As agents closed in, the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Joe Rothrock, FBI special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office, confirmed the incident was “targeted violence.” Investigators later found rounds near the shooter’s position inscribed with anti-ICE messages.
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2. Frisco Track Meet Stabbing 
Frisco Track Meet Stabbing Special
A stabbing at a Frisco track meet turned into a national story. With social media fanning the flames, the death of Austin Metcalf and arrest of Karmelo Anthony touched on several hot button issues including bail reform, misinformation and race. FOX 4 reporters who have covered the story from the beginning discuss this case and how it has been different from others they have covered in the past.
The year’s most-read stories involved the death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a junior at Frisco Memorial High School. On April 2, Metcalf was fatally stabbed during a fight at a UIL District 11-5A track meet at Kuykendall Stadium.
Authorities arrested 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, a student at Centennial High School, who allegedly admitted to the stabbing. The story gained further traction later in the year when Anthony’s family spoke publicly for the first time regarding the tragedy.
3. Rare Aurora Borealis Over Texas 
Courtesy @ncharge in Alvord
In a rare celestial display, a severe geomagnetic storm brought the Northern Lights to North Texas in early November. A viral FOX 4 tutorial became our third most-read story, teaching residents how to capture the aurora on their smartphones. The storm was so powerful that the lights were visible as far south as Central Texas, providing a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity for many.
4. Devil’s Den Murder 
A former Flower Mound teacher, James Andrew McGan, was at the center of a tragic double homicide in Arkansas. Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were killed while hiking with their young daughters at Devil’s Den State Park.
Police say Cristen rushed her daughters, ages 7 and 9, to safety before returning to help her husband. The children reached a campsite to alert authorities. McGann, a certified Texas educator, was identified as the suspect in the attack.
5. Wild Weather and School Closings 
Snow on January 10, 2025 in Richardson (Johanna Riddle)
North Texas faced brutal winter weather in both early January and mid-February. A series of arctic blasts dropped temperatures well below freezing, coating roads in ice and snow. The resulting widespread school closures became a primary concern for parents, making it the fifth most-read topic of the year.
6. Grapevine Lake Jet Ski Hit-and-Run 
Grapevine Lake jet ski hit-and-run: RECAP
Ava Moore, 18, was kayaking on Grapevine Lake during Memorial Day weekend when she was hit and killed by a jet ski. The driver of the jet ski left the scene with a help of a man. Moore was later pronounced dead and social media quickly spread photos of the suspect. Daikerlyn Gonzalez Gonzalez and Maikel Perozo were later arrested and charged. Both were in the country illegally, according to ICE.
A Memorial Day weekend tragedy led to the arrest of 21-year-old Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez. Officials say she was operating a jet ski at high speeds when she struck and killed 18-year-old Ava Moore, who was kayaking on Grapevine Lake.
Gonzalez and a companion, Maikel Coello Perozo, allegedly fled the scene with the help of bystanders in their group. Gonzalez faces a second-degree felony charge of manslaughter.
7. Historic Texas Flooding 
Catastrophic flooding in Central Texas claimed the lives of two “best friends” from the Highland Park community. The victims were identified as Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck, both of whom had recently completed the second grade at Bradfield Elementary.
The girls were attending Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp located along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. Following the tragedy, Highland Park United Methodist Church opened its doors for a prayer vigil. Church leaders noted that several campers at Camp Mystic are members of the church and the tight-knit Highland Park community.
8. PetSmart Shooting Over “Thank You” Dispute 
A disagreement turned fatal outside a Dallas PetSmart in October. According to an arrest affidavit, 41-year-old Cecilia Simpson held a door open for 22-year-old Keona Hampton. When Hampton allegedly failed to say “thank you,” an argument ensued. Hampton is accused of shooting Simpson multiple times in front of her 20-year-old daughter.
9. Dallas Motel Beheading 
In mid-September, Dallas police investigated a horrific attack at an Old East Dallas motel. Witness accounts and video surveillance detailed a dispute over a broken washing machine that escalated into a machete attack. Yordanis Cobos-Martinez is accused of killing 50-year-old Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah and decapitating him in the parking lot in view of the victim’s family.
10. Teen Sentenced in Crash That Killed Six 
Luke Resecker (Source: Texas DPS)
In November, a Johnson County jury sentenced 19-year-old Luke Garrett Resecker to 65 years in prison. The sentencing followed a 2023 head-on collision near Cleburne that killed six members of a visiting family from Georgia. Prosecutors proved Resecker was under the influence of marijuana when his truck crossed the center line. The lone survivor of the victim’s vehicle, Lokesh Potabathula, was left paralyzed from the waist down.
As we look back on the year’s most impactful moments, we thank you for trusting FOX 4 News to keep you informed, and we remain committed to telling the stories that matter most to North Texas in the year ahead.