Susan Carson has enjoyed coming to Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood since she moved to the city in 1985.
Carson, 72, loves the community Deep Ellum has for local musicians and artists, and was part of her own band at one point.
But Carson said the area has gone through drastic changes over the past 40 years, including an increase in violent incidents like the fatal shootings early Sunday morning.
“It’s a shame because it’s people in this community or the neighborhood, everyone’s working so hard to keep the neighborhood what it should be, the historical entertainment place,” Carson told KERA News in an interview.
Four people were left dead and at least 15 others were injured following multiple shootings in Deep Ellum early Sunday morning during Halloween celebrations, according to Dallas Police. The total number of people injured is still being determined as some people took themselves to the hospital.
Police Chief Daniel Comeaux told reporters three separate shootings occurred within minutes of each other, and detectives are working to determine if the shootings were related.
The gun violence was not unique to Dallas. The New York Times reported that across the country, shootings on Halloween night left at least 24 dead and 94 injured.
Carson works at Kettle Art Gallery in Deep Ellum during the day and enjoys going to watch live music at nearby venues at night. But other shootings and incidents in the past have left her worried about how safe it is. She was even nearby when a shooting happened on Canton Street in August.
Carson said Deep Ellum is “perfectly great during the day. It’s just a shame that it has some bad eggs.”
The shootings Sunday occurred at around 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street, 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street, and 1:35 a.m. in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street, according to police.
Social media videos captured scenes of frightened people running, and police moving in to clear the areas around the shootings. Noelia Espinosa, 26, told KERA News she was nearby when the third shooting occurred.
Espinosa said she remembers seeing a crowd of people outside before everyone suddenly began running, and that’s when she smelled tear gas.
“I just remember just coughing and I ended up throwing up twice because it was just so strong and everybody just started running,” Espinosa said.
Espinosa has been coming to Deep Ellum since she was 21, but said increased violence in recent years made her avoid the area.
“We didn’t really panic [Sunday] cause I mean, there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “Honestly, and we’re just, like, so used to it.”
This is not the first fatal incident in Deep Ellum this year. In February, two men were fatally stabbed outside nightclub Cash Cow. A security guard was fatally shot outside La Tardeada nightclub in May.
And there have been several shootings that led to injuries this year as well. Among them: In May, five people were hurt in a shooting on Commerce Street during Cinco de Mayo festivities. In August, two people were shot along Canton Street. A week later, three people were shot along Elm Street.
In 2025, the city of Dallas responded to public safety concerns in Deep Ellum with more police presence and indefinite street closures on Friday and Saturday nights. At Sunday’s press conference, Comeaux said there was increased police presence with expected Halloween crowds.
But shootings this year have neighbors raising questions about safety and whether increased police presence has helped maintain security.
That includes Tom Tilton, who works at Taboo Tattoo on Main Street. Tilton, 35, has worked there for a year, after moving from Austin, where he also worked in an entertainment district. But Tilton said he’s never experienced the type of violence he’s seen in Deep Ellum.
“I really value this job that I’m doing right here, I’m really happy to have this position and I’m really valuing the experience that I get, but if it wasn’t for this job, I don’t think I’d be working down here for sure,” Tilton said.
Investigations into Sunday’s shootings are ongoing. Police are reviewing videos from cameras at businesses around the neighborhood and they are asking anyone who was in Deep Ellum Halloween night to share any information or evidence.
Penelope Rivera is KERA’s Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.
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