Two people were killed and three others were injured in a shooting at Deep Ellum early in the morning, Dallas police said.
At around 2 a.m., officers responded to Unit 2800 on Elm Street, near North Crowdus Street, where police said two men approached a man standing on the sidewalk, a quarrel broke out and shots were fired “immediately.”
Police were already patrolling Deep Ellum as part of their routine duties, so they responded “in seconds,” police said. Police have increased their presence in a popular nightclub east of downtown Dallas following rising violence, which includes other deadly shootings.
A total of five men were shot dead on Friday, including two “caught in crossfire”, police said.
Jermaine Lewis, 42, and Quintin Lowe, 31, have been pronounced dead at the hospital. Police declined to say whether the two men were killed in the crossfire.
The condition of the three wounded and the extent of their injuries were not immediately available.
Two people were detained in connection with the shooting, but police did not identify them.
The investigation continues, but police said all those involved have been identified and there is no threat to the public.
The shooting comes after a series of violent crimes
Friday’s shooting was just one of several violent crimes in the popular entertainment district, including another mass shooting recently in September that killed two people and injured four others.
In August, a man driving west on block 2600 on Elm Street crashed his truck into a pedestrian, a Dallas police horse and a car. That same month, a man was fatally stabbed in a parking lot near Main Street and the Good Latimer Expressway. Other violence included a musician run over by a duo who stole his band’s van in October and two people shot and wounded by a gunman, also in block 2800 on Elm Street, last month.
Last fall, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia vowed to “take back Deep Elum” for residents and patrons.
“There is no entertainment district in any major city in America that is not vulnerable to violence,” he said. Dallas Morning News at the time. “It simply came to our notice then. But when that happens, due to the fact that these areas are so populated, police departments have to respond in kind. So, that’s why we will be more present. “
Garcia had previously cited large crowds, along with the involvement of alcohol in worsening judgments, as the biggest challenges facing police in the area.
In the public interest, Dallas police began closing some streets in Deep Ellum to traffic on Friday and Saturday nights last month.
While closures apply every summer, police spokeswoman Christine Lowman said this year’s closure began early due to warmer weather and increased pedestrian traffic.
Anyone with information on Friday’s shooting can contact Detective Scott Sayers at 214-671-3647 or scott.sayers@dallascityhall.com.
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