Dallas, Texas: Four Dead, Nine Shot in Deep Ellum Halloween Shootings

At least nine people were shot and four people died in three separate shootings in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas early on Sunday, November 1, as crowds filled the popular bar district to celebrate Halloween. Sources told FOX 4 the shootings happened at three different scenes in the Deep Ellum area, and the scenes are not believed to be related.

Three scenes, minutes apart

Newsweek reported that the three shootings occurred just minutes apart, and that the first took place at approximately midnight local time at a convenience store. Large crime scenes were spotted on Elm Street and Main Street, the two main streets of the district. Deep Ellum sits just east of downtown Dallas and is the city's best known nightlife area, a grid of bars, restaurants and music rooms. On Saturday night the streets held crowds of people out for Halloween, and the first shots were reported around midnight, while that crowd was still in the district.

The count rose overnight

The first counts were lower, and they rose as more victims reached hospitals. WFAA reported, citing Dallas police sources, that three people were confirmed dead and multiple others were injured, with victims still arriving at hospitals. FOX 4 later reported at least nine people shot and four people dead. At the time of the FOX 4 report, no details about the conditions of the surviving victims had been released, and police had not released the names of any of the victims.

What police have not said

Police had not announced any arrests, and they had not released details about the circumstances of the shootings. Because the three scenes are not believed to be related, each one is a separate case for detectives to work. The reports do not say what started any of the three shootings, whether the victims knew any shooter, or whether anyone is being sought. FOX 4 described the situation as developing, and further details are expected from Dallas authorities as the investigations continue.

A hard night in the home district

Deep Ellum draws visitors from across Dallas and Fort Worth on weekend nights, and Halloween is one of the nights the district fills up. Three shooting scenes on its two main streets turned that crowd scene into a set of crime scenes before the night was over, with large areas taped off on Elm and Main. For Dallas readers, the open questions on Sunday morning are the basic ones: who was shot, who fired, and whether the three scenes really have nothing to do with each other. Police answers to those questions had not been published when this report was filed.