DALLAS — Almost 50 years after his death, a statue of Santos Rodriguez sits in the place he frequented as a young boy, Pike Park in Dallas. A Dallas police officer shot Rodriguez to death in what Mayor Eric Johnson described as a “shame on our city.”

“Santos Rodriguez should still be here with us today,” wrote Johnson on Facebook. “He should have been able to spend the day at Pike Park with his family. This new statue of Santos at the park will serve as a reminder of the horrific injustice of his death — a cruel and careless murder committed nearly 50 years ago by a Dallas police officer when Santos was only 12 years old.”

Hundreds gathered to see the unveiling of the statue. Attendees covered it in flowers as they wept, looking at his image.

“But the sculpture will also stand as an enduring and joyful symbol of Santos’ life,” Johnson added.

“Time doesn’t heal all wounds. We must take intentional steps to heal. And this was an important and overdue step for our city and for Santos’ family.”

Among those in attendance was Bessie Rodriguez, Santos’ mother. She uttered the words, “you’ll always live in my heart and in my dreams” as she placed a bouquet at the base of her son’s sculpture. She was surrounded by Dallas city leaders including councilmen Jesse Moreno, who helped to get the figure erected.

“The dedication of Santos Rodriguez’s statue is great and momentous and is a long overdue event in the history of our city,” Moreno said. “Dallas, which waited nearly 50 years to formally apologize to the family of Santos Rodriguez following his tragic murder in 1973, has shown at long last courage and political willingness to face one of its darkest, historical events.”

Back in 1973, Dallas Police Department officer Darrell Cain arrested Santos Rodriguez and his brother on suspicion of burglary. The young men insisted they were innocent. But, to get a confession, Cain used a game of Russian roulette for persuasion. While in the back of the patrol car, handcuffed, Rodriguez had a revolver placed at his head. According to police, Cain fired the gun twice. The first produced an empty round and the second round dealt the fatal shot to the head. Cain was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the murder of Rodriguez. However, he only served half of his sentence. 

“Even though I was not born yet when Santos was murdered, I grew up learning about the injustice that happened nearly five decades ago,” he said. “When I see the image of Santos, I see myself. I see every Latino boy who calls Dallas home.”

Last year, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia apologized on behalf of the department to the Rodriguez family in a ceremony that drew hundreds to downtown. Executive Assistant Chief Albert Martinez offered words of endearment on behalf of Garcia, who wasn’t in attendance.

“I stand here honored, humbled and, quite frankly, ashamed,” he said. “The shame comes from the unbearable pain and suffering caused by someone who, many years ago, was wearing my uniform and he took Santos away from Bessie and the community. A beautiful boy with the same hopes and dreams we all have had growing up.”

Artist Seth Vandable created the likeness of Rodriguez. The image shows the 12-year-old smiling with his arms outstretched lifted up by other figures. And in the palm of his hands rests his mother’s fingerprint — a detail she added when she saw the sculpture for the first time.

 “This fixes nothing,” Vandable said. “Art doesn’t provide answers, but hopefully it causes us to ask the right questions.”