Two people were shot and killed at Bitter End bar in Deep Ellum Wednesday morning.
Just before 1 a.m. March 15, officers were sent to the bar located on the 2800 block of Elm Street.
Police report that the assailant approached Bitter End’s porch and shot a man sitting on the patio. Multiple rounds also passed through the bar’s wall and glass exterior, striking a woman inside the bar.
Both victims died after being transported to a nearby hospital. The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Rickey Gossett and 30-year-old Danielle Jones.
Police have not been able to identify a motive for the attack, nor have they released further details at this time.
Violence in Deep Ellum has become a major concern for the Dallas Police Department and City leadership. The City created a special police unit dedicated to maintaining order in the popular entertainment district last September.
Initially, business owners in the area were enthused with the City’s increased enforcement.
Jeff Brightwell, Dot’s Hop House and Cocktail Courtyard owner and managing partner, told WFAA in September that the creation of the task force was “wonderful news” and that it created a feeling that Deep Ellum was “safe and well taken care of.”
The task force was expected to rehabilitate the neighborhood’s reputation for violence, a reputation stung by popular rapper T-Pain’s decision to relocate a concert to Grand Prairie after he deemed the district “unsafe” last May.
So far in 2023, the task force, spearheaded by The Dallas Express’ reigning crime boss Jesse Moreno, has been unable to stop several shooting deaths and other violent crimes. According to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard, six murders have taken place in Moreno’s district since the start of the year.
Council Member Moreno did not respond to the request for comment on violent crime in Deep Ellum by the time of this article’s publication.