Federal prosecutors charged a man accused of wounding seven people in Deep Ellum with possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon, while Dallas police filed seven aggravated assault counts following the November 1 Halloween weekend shootings. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the federal complaint Thursday, November 5.
David Dashaun Yancy surrendered to Dallas police on November 4, according to the federal complaint and the department’s November 5 update. The state counts allege aggravated assault in a mass shooting, a first-degree felony. Authorities have not charged Yancy in the separate shootings that killed four people elsewhere in Deep Ellum that morning.
Note: Dallas police identified Yancy as 31 years old, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office listed him as 27 in its November 5 announcement. Authorities have not publicly explained the discrepancy.
What The Federal Complaint Alleges
Officers responded to 2626 Main Street at approximately 1 a.m. on November 1 and found seven people with gunshot wounds that authorities described as non-life-threatening. Investigators collected 11 fired 9mm cartridge casings and projectiles, according to an affidavit by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives task force officer Fernando Garcia.
Investigators allege surveillance footage shows Yancy removing a handgun from his waistband, appearing to rack its slide and putting it away. Additional video allegedly captures him firing toward people in the crowded entertainment district. Witness interviews, tips and video review led detectives to identify him, prosecutors said.
The affidavit documents a 2018 Dallas County felony conviction for unlawful use of a motor vehicle. It also identifies a separate child-endangerment case involving felony deferred adjudication probation and an active probation-violation warrant. Federal investigators contend the ammunition had crossed state lines, a jurisdictional element of the federal charge.
If convicted on the federal firearm or ammunition charge, Yancy faces up to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said. The complaint contains allegations, not findings of guilt.
Four Deaths In Separate Shootings
The Main Street incident formed part of three shootings that Dallas police logged between approximately 12:20 a.m. and 1:35 a.m. November 1. Police counted four deaths and 15 injuries across the three scenes.
Police identified Isaiah Boling, 20, as the person killed in the Elm Street shooting. Anthony Martin, 25, Unique Benjamin, 28, and Kaniesa Scott, 21, died in the South Crowdus Street shooting, the department confirmed.
Before Yancy surrendered, investigators asked the public to identify a man captured on video holding a pistol near the Main Street crowd, as The Dallas Express previously covered. Police subsequently identified Yancy as that suspect.
Federal Enforcement Expands In Deep Ellum
The charges followed the November 2 launch of Operation Deep Cover, a coordinated federal, state and local initiative focused on violent crime and illegal firearms in Dallas entertainment and commercial districts. Earlier Dallas Express coverage examined the operation and the separate federal firearm case against Treyveion Dionte Demby. Prosecutors have not alleged that Demby shot anyone in the Halloween incidents.
“When we launched Operation Deep Cover, we made an unequivocal promise: anyone who terrorizes our neighborhoods will face the full weight of the federal government,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in the November 5 release.
Authorities continue to seek information about the shootings. Dallas police ask witnesses to contact Sgt. Boz Rojas at 214-671-3598 or [email protected], according to the department’s notice.
Dallas To Review Deep Ellum Shootings As Police Staffing Falls Short
The Dallas City Council Public Safety Committee will review the police response to the Halloween weekend shootings in Deep Ellum on Monday, November 9, at 1 p.m. at Dallas City Hall. The agenda also includes updates on violent-crime reduction and police hiring.
The review comes as Dallas police staffing has fallen to 3,427 sworn officers as of October 27, leaving the department 573 officers short of the 4,000-officer minimum voters approved under Proposition U in November 2024, according to the department’s latest memorandum.
The committee will examine the department’s Deep Ellum security preparations and response, although the agenda does not call for a vote on Proposition U compliance.
