Law enforcement to crack down on crime in Dallas' Deep Ellum

Texas. I'm joined by the leaders of our great city, the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshal Service, DPD, and our great city manager. Thank you for all being here. The presence shows how seriously we take what happened in Deep Ellum. So what happened? On Halloween night, thousands of people went to Deep Ellum to celebrate. This is one of Dallas's most iconic and vibrant neighborhoods. Instead of night filled with music and memories. Three separate shootings happened, leaving four people dead and 15 injured that we know of. That is not a night out. That is a community in mourning. We will not accept this as normal. None of us will. Deep Ellum belongs to the artists, the musicians, the workers, the business owners, the families, and the visitors who give this community its heartbeat. It does not belong to anyone who thinks a gun gives them ownership over a street. And it does not belong to anyone. Who believes the federal government will just watch this thing slip away. Let me be crystal clear. Attorney General Blanch, who I spoke with this morning, has empowered us to use every single tool to fight violent crime specifically in Deep Ellum. Everyone deserves the freedom to walk down the street to celebrate a fun night out during our nation's holidays and to simply exist in public without fear for their safety or their children's safety. To the victims and their families, we see you and we will not look away. I'm sorry this happened to you, but I can say that we are unleashing federal resources together with our state and local counterparts to identify, charge, and put in prison as long as possible under the law those who murdered your loved ones. Today we are announcing Operation Deep Cover. We will cover every inch of Deep Ellum with law enforcement. Some officers will wear uniforms, others will wear plain clothes. If you're thinking about committing a crime here, you will not know who's watching. We want to increase state, local, and federal presence. You'll only know that someone is, and it starts right now with actions, not just words. Here's the first case. Today, we federally charged Travion Demby with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Here is what the affidavit states. He was here on that night and pointed a loaded gun in the direction of a crowd. At about 1 a.m. Sunday, a Dallas police officer, and I might add a heroic officer, responded to gunfire at the 2600 block of Main Street, where we are generally today. The officer saw a man dressed in black wearing a ski mask pointing a handgun towards Main Street. So the officer, instead of running away or ducking and covering, does what our DPD officers do every day. They run to the gunfire. They run to the danger. The officer ordered him to drop the weapon. According to the affidavit, he refused at first, but then handed it over. And then thereafter, led the officers on a short pursuit. Officers were able to detain him and discovered that the gun was a 9mm pistol with 16 rounds, including one in the chamber ready to go. This officer's actions, we believe, prevented future violence. As is too often the story, Mr. Demby is a frequent flyer in committing crimes. He has prior convictions for four, not three, not two, not one, four aggravated robberies, and was also on state parole at the time. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. That is an invaluable tool that we use to get bad guys off the streets. And something that our chief here has committed himself all across Dallas in charging. And we're very grateful for his partnership. But again, thanks to the very quick response of this Dallas police officer, a loaded stolen gun was taken off the street before it could do harm. I also want to recognize the ATF and the DPD investigators who worked around the clock. I spoke with the chief and my partners up here that morning on Sunday morning and said, this is not going to happen to our great city. And they all were on board. Chief already had come up with a plan on how to address this, and I can tell you that this is not going to keep happening. So what is Operation Deep Cover going to do? Number one, more boots on the ground. We're devoting more federal law enforcement resources to Deep Ellum, working side-by-side with our state and local partners. Number two, it's a direct line. We're creating a direct line to Dallas PD for Deep Ellum's crimes. So we're going to review everything that hits DPD's files as it relates to violent crime and drug dealing. My violent crime chief, Jeremy Fugate, will be leading monthly meetings with DPD so information moves very quickly and that we can get bad guys taken off the streets who come into Deep Ellum to commit crimes. Three, aggressive prosecution. I'm going to prosecute every single offense I can. And we're going to use creative statutes to prosecute other offenses. So, yes, we are going to charge felon of possession. And, yes, we're going to charge drug dealing. But if we have a common nucleus or nexus to some of these guys, If they're a gang and they're coming here and committing indiscriminate violence, they're going to meet the whirlwind of this team up here. We did this actually in Arlington, Texas, where I talked to the police chief there, and we charged 21 kick-toe gang members who were terrorizing communities. The chief told me that that was responsible for leading to a dramatic dip in violent crime. So we're going to be looking at everything, under covering every rock, to see if there's any common nucleus to these acts of violence, and if there is, we're going to charge them under statutes called Vicar and Rico, and those statutes carry with them up to life imprisonment, as well as potentially the death penalty. A second look, so this isn't just starting now and going forward. I've looked at old case files, and I've directed my team to look at old case files from the last number of years. I'm not going to put a specific date on it, but we are going through old case files that impacted Deep Ellum to round folks up that committed crimes here. The previous administration may have made a choice to not prosecute cases. That's neither here nor there, but we're going to still go through the old files and charge those cases federally if we can charge those cases. It is my belief that some of those folks... Who have previously gotten out, like this guy, on parole early, came back to the same area and committed crimes. Number five, no case slips through. We set up an intake team with the Dallas County folks, led by, on my side, two assistant United States attorneys. So note that every single case that can go federal will, in fact, go federal. And in the federal system, we have two things. Number one is we detain people before trial. That means they don't go through the carousel of justice and get out. Pending the outcome of the trial, because they're a danger to the community or a flight risk. So we detain people so they can stop harming others. Number two is, we have a thing called truth in sentencing. That means if you get 30 years, you're likely doing most of that 30 years. There's no Mickey Mouse calculation that happens. 30 years means 30 years. We also have mandatory minimums. That means that the judge doesn't have any discretion to go below what we charge. And that's something that the Trump administration and General Blanch. ...has put a primary focus on addressing violent crime. To the people of Deep Ellum, you should be able to enjoy this neighborhood without fear. We can't do it without you. So if you see something, please say something. And I'm going to share two numbers. Dallas Police Department, 1-877-373-TIPS. Please call the DPD, folks. And FBI Dallas, 1-800-CALL-FBI. Just know that your tip could save a life. And I'll end with this, a message to anyone planning violence to this community. We are watching. Commit a crime here, and you will face prosecution and the full weight of the federal government. Deep Ellum's music will not be silenced by gunfire or other crimes. The violence has to end, and it will end. This is simply too great of a place to let it slip. I'm tired of reading news stories. If you come here and you commit a crime, I'm coming for you. Let me be crystal clear about that. So Operation Deep Cover starts today and it will not end until Deep Elm is safe. Thank you and I'll now turn it over to ATF Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Sente. Good afternoon everyone. Thank you U.S. Attorney Rabel. I am Joseph Sente, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Dallas Field Division. Today we are sending a clear message. The violent in Deep Elm must stop. We're committed to making sure it does. For too long, violent criminals have put lives at risk, threatened businesses, and turned a neighborhood known for its energy and culture into a place where people have to worry about their safety. That ends now. The U.S. Attorney's Office, along with ATF and our local law enforcement partners, are launching Operation Deep Cover with one objective, to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for violence and development. ATF has long maintained a strong presence alongside our Dallas Police Department partners. With our personnel embedded in their operations and our agents focused on addressing violent crime in Deep Ellum, this is not a new commitment. We have been working in this neighborhood alongside our partners to identify violent offenders and hold them accountable. Operation Deep Cover builds on that foundation. We bring resources, investigative capabilities, and unwavering commitment to the mission. Through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, better known as NIBIN, we will connect firearms-related evidence, identify links between shootings, and help investigate and build stronger cases against violent offenders. Combined with our intelligence and our other investigative techniques, we will work relentlessly to bring these criminals to justice. This is more than just making arrests. It's about changing the environment in Deep Ellum. It's about making sure violent offenders understand that their actions and consequences and that law enforcement will not stop until the violence is brought under control. Operation Deep Cover begins today, but our commitment does not end with this press conference. It is sustained commitment to restoring safety and making sure those who threaten this community understand that their actions will have serious consequences. The residents of Deep Ellum deserve it. Thank you. Hey, good afternoon. I'm Joe Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Dallas. I want to start today by offering my condolences to the families of the victims who lost their loved ones to the senseless violence that occurred in Deep Ellum over the weekend. Along with United States Attorney Raybould, Chief Como, and our federal law enforcement partners, we are here to announce Operation Deep Cover, an initiative aimed at combating violent crime that the Deep Ellum community has faced. The purpose of this initiative is to leverage our partnership. Partnerships among state, local, and federal law enforcement, as well as the community, in order to reduce violent crime and increase community safety. The threats our communities face are increasingly complex, and our partnerships are central in our ability to combat violent incidents, like those that occurred over this past weekend. I want to recognize and thank all of law enforcement that are here today and who are committed to ensuring the safety of our communities. If you have information about a violent crime, or if you see something suspicious, please call local law enforcement or notify the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Thank you, and I'll now turn it over to Chief Cuomo. What happened this weekend in Deep Ellum is unacceptable. This is going to stop. It's going to change. This is what right looks like. All the partners, the entire team is going to come together as one. We're putting all our badge in the same hat to make a difference here in Deep Ellum. We have a plan in place. We have a new plan in place. Even better plan than we had before. And that's because of our partnership that we have right here. It is going to multiply. It will be safe here. The work that the Dallas Police Department has already been doing, it's there. We were able to respond immediately. But now, this right here, this doesn't happen as fast as it happened this time. So I want to thank you. Where's the U.S. Attorney? There he is. I want to thank you. Because I tell you what, this doesn't happen this fast. This individual here that was walking around with a gun, pointing the gun, he's probably going to look at about 15 years for doing this. Been arrested four times for aggravated robberies. Four times walking the streets of Deep Ellum. Unacceptable. And with our partners, they're going to feel it. You come out here with weapons. You come out here doing bad. You're going to feel it from DPD and all the federal partners. And I'm going to challenge them. So be with us as long as they need to be here, and I don't think it's going to change. I'm going to challenge them also for funding to help us in every area that we need it so everyone understands how important this is. You will see a difference from what you've seen in the past. Thank you. We can take questions, and I'll pass it to one of my colleagues if I can't answer all. Yeah, Mr. Rapp, nice to meet you. So I'll let the chief answer the funding piece. What I can tell you, the way I see this operating is very similar to Project Safe Neighborhoods Share intelligence. We focus federal resources. We meet with members of the community who tell us what the problems are. And then we bring our tools to bear, which are substantial federal tools to put the bad guys away. I'm going to go through old cases in the last number of years and identify people that have come to this area and hurt others that were never prosecuted or weren't prosecuted appropriately. And what do I mean by that? People that got a slap on the wrist. And I'm not criticizing anyone for their prior decisions, I just deal with facts. And the facts are that if you come here and you hurt people, it has created a problem for the business owners and for the other people that just want to enjoy the music and the good food. And I'm coming for you. Just understand we're gonna work shoulder to shoulder to make sure we keep everyone safe here. I'm not gonna give all the plan away. Just know we're watching, we see you, and we're working together. And the federal government, the penalty's stiff. When we catch you, it's stiff. Yeah, so what we know now, there are separate investigations. We have three separate investigations. The homicide team is working on it right now. Putting a lot of information together. We're still looking for tips. As I requested before, we need help from the public. They're reviewing cameras. Right now, I wouldn't be surprised right now that some of these businesses looking at videos right now trying to piece this all together. We are getting some information in. We do have some witnesses, but we need more. And we really need the public to help us out. Every minute you see a new video pop up on social media, we're on social media looking at every single video to see what we can identify. We do have some tips. We do have some leads on some suspects, and we are looking into them right now. So the information that we have right now, this is senseless. It makes absolutely no sense. We're talking about individuals with arguments and people end up dead for absolutely no reason other than the disagreement. Yep. Yeah, sure. So I'll take your first part. In my experience, General Blanch has, so this morning, I let him know that our plan, what it was, and he was very supportive. He says, whatever you need. He has been a fantastic leader for the Department of Justice. He's been nothing but empower us. In fact, we ate about three months ago at Terry Black's down the street. He came here with the head of the FBI, the head of the DEA, Marshalls, ATF, Chief was with us. So he's shown that he cares about Dallas, Texas. Immediately when this happened, I talked to his staff and team about how we could tackle this. And we had a very fruitful discussion. I won't get into specifics, but basically it was whatever you need, Ryan, we'll support you. Now to the Model Cities initiative, look, Chase, I want all the money to come back to North Texas. And I did everything in my power to help Chief be one of those four that gets it. So hopefully that, you know, DOJ has given millions of dollars to this great city as well as other cities across North Texas, but those are decisions that they made. We're going to utilize what we have to make this city safe, but I would have loved to get that, you know, roughly $70, $80 million for this area. The new plan is what you're looking at now. More partnership. We're going to continue doing what we've been doing. We're going to revisit blocking off streets, maybe at a certain time, maybe a little bit earlier, to make an addition to the new plan. But this is the new plan right here, calling in some extra resources to help us. And it's long-term help because, again, when you get someone that's carrying a gun and they get arrested in the state, it's very different than when they're arrested federally. Very different. Yes, Miller. So what I'll tell you, and a lot of people don't know this, we actually just started a second Deep Ellum Passport that we didn't publicize. So we actually had more officers here than we had in the past. And that was something that was already in the process that had already happened, right? So I don't have the numbers of arrests, but we put a second team out here before this actually happened. And many people didn't know that. You'll definitely see more arrests. They were one of the things that I hope, and that's when I always talk about the education and awareness piece. If you cross that line, we're going to put you in jail. I've made that very clear since I've gotten here. If you cross the line, we're putting you in jail. But there is a piece of education and awareness. Here's your education and awareness right here. You come down here, you're not only going to face us, you're going to face the federal government on sentencing. It makes a difference. When you get arrested and you know you're going to go in and you're going to be out in the day, that's not going to happen now. If you're taken federally, that does not happen. But this mind's always working, and this mind's always working to get better. And everything's on the table, and the great thing is our city manager has given me the ability to think outside the box and do what I need to do, and I'm going to take advantage of that. So I'm glad you asked that question because I was with the U.S. attorney earlier today, and we actually talked about that, so I'm not going to steal his thunder and let him talk about it now. Businesses that know that crimes are happening on their property and not doing anything about it and not being good corporate citizens, for us, all options are on the table. Okay. People own the parking lots, right? Major conglomerates own the parking lots. Some are regional, some are national. In my view, they have a duty to clean up crime on their property, particularly when you're getting 300, 400, 500 reports. It's no different than trafficking. It's no different than drug dealing. If you're a motel owner, we have a lot of examples. In fact, the Dallas Morning News has done a great job of covering a number of those shady hotels. Those owners have a responsibility to get drugs off of their property. You don't get 400 police calls. You don't get four dead lives, you know, basically in and around your property, and then you get a claim, no knowledge. So for me, all options are on the table with those companies that don't clean up their parking lots. So you're right. These businesses here, you know, they're confined to their business. But the people that own the parking lots, the message is very clear. Get your stuff in order. Yep. So. No. So there's separate statutes, both civil and criminal, that we can do for the owners, the companies that do not do enough about cleaning up crime on their streets. And we will partner with our Dallas counterparts to make sure if we can't hit it, then they will. What I'm talking about is when folks come here and commit indiscriminate acts of violence. Oftentimes, they have a connection, whether that be a gang connection, some sort of common nucleus where we can charge them as an association under RICO and VICAR and use as what's called predicate acts all of these state law felonies and violations, in addition to federal violations. And we just did this in Arlington, Texas, where we charged 21 of these defendants. From, in one year, we charged them and convicted and sentenced all of them. And Chief Jones says that had a dramatic impact on public safety in Arlington, Texas. You said so much, I don't remember the first question. But I'm going to start off with the second question. Our plan was in place. I believe that every single officer did their job. I was out here talking to officers at 7 in the morning. And I was listening to the stories, how they ran from one call to another call. And one officer was able to bring someone back to life. By doing life-saving measures after he was shot, the plan was there, it was in place, it was good. Unfortunately, we still had three separate shootings that occurred within an hour and a half of each other. Some things that, you know, we can't control, but this is the responsibility of everyone. DPD is going to definitely do their part. We're going to continue to do our part, and this is what Wright looked like. Like I said, we're going to make a difference. Oh, personnel-wise, that was the first part. This old mind came back. Personnel. Look, like I just said, we actually started a second passports out here that we didn't publicize, and we had more officers out here. The number was there. Unfortunately, this senseless act still took place. We'll get that all out in paper form for everyone. A lot of individuals were shot, and I don't know the exact number, you know, injuries, if there was additional injuries, but we'll get all that out in black and white for you. Yeah, arguments, arguments. It was senseless. It was senseless. Terrell, we're going to look at every single thing, and we're going to work this as a team. You're either going to get on the team or you're going to get off the team. We need to make sure folks that are coming out here just to hang out, just to be seen, they're not coming out here to have a good, safe time, and they're just here to be here. They don't need to be here. And it's going to be our job now to make sure, working with the businesses, hand-in-hand with the businesses, that those who are just hanging out to do bad are not hanging out to do bad. So there's a huge focus on both presence and aggressive prosecutions, like I talked about, and that is going to be the overarching goal. Another key piece will also be meeting with business folks, which I know the chief has been meeting with tons of business folks over the last couple days, and I will as well meet with them. So it is community outreach as well. But I can tell you that what I think will help is people to know that if they come down here with a gun And they're a convicted felon. They can end up in federal prison for many, many years, perhaps decades. We hope so. That's our goal. And that's why we're looking at old case files, because we want to see if there's common threads to these previous shootings and these previous violent crimes or these previous convictions related to people carrying a firearm when they're a prohibited person. We want to try to piece it together. As well as using resources like NIBIN, which runs the shell casings, and our great FBI investigators to look at it from a RICO-VICAR lens. And so for us, it is to look at everything and anything, keep all options on the table, and we want this to stop. We want this to be a great place that's defined by music and good food. Heck, I come down here, and I hope that folks continue to come down here and enjoy what it has to offer. We're seeing an unbelievable amount of growth in North Texas and one of the key pieces why that growth has happened is because there's safety. There's public safety here and the money goes where there's safety and there's predictability and we want to maintain that in North Texas. Correct. Although they are, it is related in some sense. So shooting happens. Demby pulled out a firearm, pointed it at the crowd, and this is in the complaint as alleged, and due to the heroics of the DPD, there was a chamber that was loaded ready to go. There was a bullet in the chamber, 15 other rounds ready to go. And that officer immediately jumped into action and stopped him from shooting it. We believe that that was a scene that was going to get even more chaotic. Acknowledge some of our partners that are standing up here doing the speech. We have special agents in charge of the DA.