Security Guard Killed, Five Wounded in Two Separate Deep Ellum Shootings

DALLAS – A violent night in Dallas’ Deep Ellum entertainment district left one security guard dead and five other people wounded in two unrelated shootings that occurred just two hours apart and one block away from each other.

The deadly incident took place inside a bar, where 26-year-old security guard Joseph Gray was fatally shot. Police have identified the suspect in that shooting as 23-year-old Detorius Tarver. According to investigators, Tarver was involved in an altercation, and when the security guard attempted to break up the fight, he was shot.

Just two hours earlier, police were investigating another shooting roughly a block away in which five people were injured. Officers were seen running from one crime scene to the other as they responded to both incidents.

The Deep Ellum Foundation, which had added extra security to the area for Cinco de Mayo, said more still needs to be done to ensure safety.

“Our officers were on the scene nearly immediately responding, and part of that’s because we received calls about what people were seeing from the community,” a foundation spokesperson said. “We’re really going to continue to focus on we need policy change, and we need to focus on that and advance that to continue to promote safety for this area.”

The organization updated its safety plan earlier this year and released it just a few months ago.

Police have stated that the two shootings are unrelated.