Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph is a person of interest in a homicide investigation, according to various reports ... and now detectives in Dallas want to talk to the 2nd-round draft pick about a shooting that left a man dead.

The tragic shooting occurred on March 18 in Dallas. 20-year-old Cameron Ray -- a Lower Greenville, Texas native -- was in Dallas with his buddies for a fun weekend. However, the night took a terrible turn when another group of men picked a fight with Cameron's group. Ray was NOT the aggressor, according to police.

After the altercation ended, Ray and his friends began to walk to their car, when an SUV, driven by the men who'd just jumped the group, opened fire, striking and killing Cameron, according to cops.

The group police believe was behind the shooting was caught on surveillance video ... and Dallas PD believes Joseph to be one of the men who are seen around the time of the homicide, according to Yahoo.

According to ESPN, one of the men involved in the fight was wearing a necklace with a pendant reading "YKDV." Kelvin's rap name is reportedly "YKDV Bossman Fat."

Dallas police detectives say Ray was a man who did absolutely nothing wrong, and needlessly had his life taken.

"He was enjoying himself, doing nothing wrong, but that night, as it ended, he was walking with some friends. They encountered a disturbance that they did not start," DPD Detective Tonya McDaniel said.

We reached out to the Cowboys ... who declined comment.

But, Yahoo says they've spoken with sources inside the organization who reportedly told the outlet they were aware of the investigation, and had urged Joseph to speak with authorities.

Joseph -- who played college ball at LSU before transferring to Kentucky -- was the 44th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Kelvin played in 10 games for the Cowboys last season, racking up 16 tackles and 2 pass deflections.

Story developing ...