DALLAS — A man who shot and killed himself out of U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne’s Irving home Wednesday was a former staffer of the freshman Republican congresswoman and a GOP activist, officials said.
The Irving Police Department confirmed his identity to The Dallas Morning News Thursday as Richard Christian “Chris” Dillard, 55. He was Van Duyne’s communications director for her campaign from November 2019 to April 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile, which shows him pictured with Texas GOP Chairman Allen West. Dillard was a member of the Texas State Guard, The Texas Military Department Public Affairs staff confirmed Thursday.
Dillard shot himself and died by suicide Wednesday, police said. Van Duyne, a freshman Republican, was home at the time, according to spokeswoman Amanda Gonzalez Thompson.
Van Duyne called police after she heard a shot and saw a body on her front walkway at around 3:45 p.m. Van Duyne had been participating in a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s budget meeting at the time.
The reason behind Dillard’s death is still unknown, said Irving Police Department Public Information Officer Robert Reeves. Dillard did not have a history of mental illness, Reeves said.
Van Duyne spokeswoman Andrea Coker read a statement from Van Duyne, who said Dillard had been to her home multiple times for “holiday parties, fantasy football draft parties and get-togethers with friends.” The last time Van Duyne said she heard from Dillard was over text in January.
“I am still shocked and grieving that Chris would take his life,” Van Duyne said. “We have known each other for years... I‘ve spoken with Chris’s mother to offer my condolences and asked her how to support her during this difficult time. I’m devastated for her, his daughter and grandchildren, we are praying for Chris’s family and loved ones and ask that everyone please respect their privacy.”
Dillard was pronounced dead on the scene. Van Duyne was unaware he was on the residence before the incident, Reeves said. Dillard did not gain access to the gated community by contacting Van Duyne, but he knew a number of people who lived in the community who could have let him in, Reeves said.
CEO Julie McCarty of the right-wing True Texas Project said in an email statement she was “devastated by the passing of our good and faithful friend and patriot” and called Dillard “arguably the most popular activist in the Metroplex and well-beyond.”
“I know people will make assumptions and think they know what went wrong,” McCarty said. “I urge you to resist doing that and just celebrate a life well-lived.”
State Rep. Matthew Krause, a Republican, responded to Dillard’s death in a Facebook post.
“He was a consummate activist, volunteering his time in numerous ways for numerous causes,” Krause said. “And always did so with a smile.”
