4 dead in Dallas' Deep Ellum Halloween shootings

Good evening everybody. Thanks for being with us tonight. I'm Amelia Jones. A Halloween night in Deep Ellum turned deadly. Police say three separate shootings overnight left four people dead and at least 15 others injured. Gunfire erupted at multiple locations as crowds filled bars in the area. Investigators are working to determine the motive of the shootings and those who work and live there are questioning how it happened. Fox 4's Vanya Castillo has the latest on the investigation. Three shootings just blocks away from each other, all happening within less than two hours. I spoke with people in Deep Ellum who live and work there and were impacted by a deadly Halloween night. There's one right there, there's one right there. Four people killed, at least 15 others hurt after three separate shootings in Deep Ellum, all happening within 75 minutes of each other early Sunday morning. What started as a night of Halloween celebration ended with three crime scenes just blocks apart. For Pete Zotto, the owner of St. Pete's Dancing Marlin, which has been in Deep Ellum since 1994, the violence came right to his doorstep. He's pointing out bullet strikes on his building. We've seen them all, but it's like, this one's tough. This one is tough. It was only a matter of time before it was that close. It's usually, it's over there, it's a block away, three blocks away. Then this one touches, hits. It's too close. Dallas police say the first shooting happened just after midnight at around 12.20 a.m. on Elm Street. The second was reported at 105 on Main Street, followed by a third at 135 on South Kraus. All just blocks apart. Police say they had extra officers patrolling the area for Halloween, but video also shows large crowds that officers were dealing with within the area. Dallas police say officers heard gunfire multiple times, and we've seen videos of them running into the chaos. Zotos was home when he got the call from one of his employees about the shooting happening in front of the business. He told his employees to lock up and go home. Makes you want to move, but where do you move to? It happens everywhere, but right now, Deep Ellum's getting a lion's share of bad stuff. This is completely unacceptable for it to take place in Dallas. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Como addressed the incident after sunrise. Several city leaders put out statements reacting to the shootings, among them councilwoman Carla Mendelson, who wrote, I am calling for a thorough review of DPD's preparation and operational response. Going on to say, we need to understand how three separate shootings occurred within approximately 75 minutes in such a concentrated area. Como says the department did have an elevated presence in Deep Ellum. I can't give you a percentage that it was amped up, but I know there was constant meetings going on throughout the week to make sure that the presence was felt here. With so many people involved and multiple scenes, police say the investigations will take time. For Veronica Young, who lives in Deep Ellum and works with the Deep Ellum Foundation, the loss has been difficult to put into words. Devastate, it's devastating. As a mother myself, I just can't ever imagine receiving that phone call. I apologize. I am emotional about this. It hits home. I have older kids. As of right now, police say they don't believe the three shootings are connected, but it is still under investigation. I mean, there's gotta be an answer, but I don't know what it is. And we need that some crimes are to come make it happen, I guess. I don't know. The Deep Ellum Foundation is planning on having listening sessions to try and help come up with solutions. It'll take place on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. Dallas Police is also asking that anyone with any videos or information on what happened, contact them. Bonnie Castillo, Fox 4 News. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued a statement about the shooting, saying in part, quote, My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and everyone affected by these heinous shootings, and my support lies with the Dallas Police Department as it investigates this incident and works to bring those responsible to justice. We will have the latest developments on the shootings as they become available. Stay tuned for continuing coverage on the investigations on air on our website and streaming on Fox Local.