A series of shootings across the Deep Ellum entertainment district in Dallas left four people dead and about 15 others wounded early Sunday as Halloween festivities wrapped up, authorities said.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux told reporters Sunday morning that investigators were working to determine whether the three distinct scenes were connected. Officers made multiple arrests, but investigators had not yet identified the motives or established how the suspects were tied to each scene, Comeaux said.
“Right now, in total, we have four people that are deceased from three separate scenes, and we have approximately 15 others that have been injured,” Comeaux said, according to FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth.
The shootings occurred over roughly an hour and 15 minutes in the bustling neighborhood filled with restaurants, music venues and bars. Police reported that no officers sustained injuries.
Three separate crime scenes in Deep Ellum
According to FOX 4 News, a preliminary timeline indicated the gunfire broke out in three phases: around 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street, at 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street, and at 1:35 a.m. in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street. Local authorities told CBS News Texas a slightly different sequence, reporting an initial confrontation around midnight in a convenience store parking lot where five were shot, followed by gunfire near Commerce and South Crowdus streets that killed three, and a third shooting on Elm Street that killed one.
Comeaux praised responding personnel, emphasizing that extra police patrols had been assigned to Deep Ellum in anticipation of large holiday crowds. Officers stationed less than two blocks away ran directly toward gunfire, administered emergency care and revived at least one wounded victim on the street, according to FOX 4 News.
Police closed off Deep Ellum overnight while crime-scene technicians marked shell casings and gathered physical evidence. Detectives launched door-to-door visits to secure private surveillance video from area businesses, while officials urged community members to provide photos or video recordings.
Gunfire erupts in other cities during Halloween weekend
The bloodshed in Dallas came amid several other mass shootings reported across the country between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, The Guardian US reported.
- In Birmingham, Alabama, one person died and eight others were injured when gunfire broke out near Legion Field shortly after the Magic City Classic football game, according to police officials. Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the incident happened along Graymont Avenue near vendor stands after most families had left the venue.
- In Newark, Delaware, six people were shot late Saturday near the University of Delaware campus and taken to area hospitals, according to Newark police.
- In Bloomington, Illinois, a shooting early Sunday near Illinois Wesleyan University killed a 19-year-old woman, critically injured another woman and injured six others, authorities said.
- In Fayetteville, Arkansas, six individuals were hospitalized with gunshot wounds following an early Sunday altercation, local police reported.
In Dallas, investigators are searching for additional suspects and reviewing footage. Dallas police asked anyone holding information about the Deep Ellum attacks to contact Sgt. Boz Rojas at (214) 671-3598, FOX 4 News reported.
