The Dallas Police Department arrested one of two security guards involved in the fatal shooting of a woman outside XTC Cabaret in the early hours of Friday, June 25, after determining that the victim’s car posed no immediate danger before being fired upon.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Shalonda Anderson, 32, was shot outside the club on North Stemmons Freeway. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died of her injuries.
Following the shooting, the club management released a statement shedding more light on their initial understanding of the incident.
“We want the public to understand the situation and circumstances of what happened during the early morning hours of June 25, 2022,” the statement read. “A female, third-party security guard was run over by a woman who drove her vehicle into a group of security guards while they were motioning to the driver that she was going the wrong way through the club’s parking lot.
“The security guard was hit by the driver’s car and pinned between that car and a van. Her leg was crushed, and her foot run over. Reportedly fearing for her life, the security guard shot the driver as the guard was being hit, and before the driver could seriously injure or kill others.”
However, the 26-year-old female security guard, whose name has not been released, is not the one who was arrested.
An arrest affidavit alleged that the other guard who shot at Anderson, identified as Sterlin Hammett, 30, fired his weapon at the victim’s car without any justification.
According to Hammett’s arrest affidavit, the club’s management had asked the victim and three of her friends to leave before the incident. Anderson captured footage of the exchange and posted it on her Facebook page shortly before she was shot.
In the footage, the victim could be heard complaining about the guards apparently touching her and her friends. Hammett and the other security guards could also be seen escorting the victim and her friends out of the club.
One of the passengers in Anderson’s car also captured a video; in it, Anderson and three people are walking back to their vehicle after being removed from the club. Once in the parking lot, Anderson and her friends got into a car, with the victim sitting in the driver’s seat.
The video showed the victim in the driver’s seat, backing out of a parking spot. Shots were then fired into the car as Anderson drove forward. The video was played in front of the family during a press conference organized by Next Generation Action Network.
In a three-second video released by club management shortly after the shooting, the victim could reportedly be seen driving into a group of security guards.
The arrest affidavit alleged Hammett fired at Anderson’s vehicle as she was driving out of the parking lot, striking the car multiple times. Anderson then drove into the guards and struck the 26-year-old female security guard.
Attorneys for Anderson’s family allege this occurred because she was fleeing Hammett, who was shooting at her.
Anderson exited her car and ran a short distance to a nearby field after being shot. A video allegedly showed one guard kneeling by her body.
Hammett told investigators during an interview that he shot at Anderson to prevent her from hitting others in the parking lot with her vehicle. However, when investigators asked him if he saw other individuals in Anderson’s path, he reportedly said he did not.
Kim Cole, an attorney for the victim’s family, revealed during a news conference that Anderson and her friends were allegedly pepper-sprayed and doused with water prior to the shooting. Cole added that Anderson was not a violent person and did not attempt to fight back.
“Shalonda did nothing to deserve how she was treated at that establishment,” Cole said. “She did nothing to deserve to die, and those individuals responsible must be held responsible.”
Dallas police arrested Hammett on Monday and booked him into the Dallas County jail on a $75,000 bond, where he is now facing three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Court records showed Hammett has indicated he wants to hire his own attorney. However, it is still unclear if he has done so. No statement from Hammett regarding the incident or how he intends to plead was immediately available.
The female security guard struck by Anderson’s vehicle was released from the hospital on Tuesday after being treated for her injuries. She suffered multiple broken bones.
A grand jury will decide whether the female guard will face any charges concerning Anderson’s death, DPD said, but did not clarify why one guard was arrested and one’s case was referred. The Dallas County district attorney’s public integrity unit will also investigate the incident independently.
