By Maggie Prosser and Hojun Choi
A 26-year-old man was fatally shotand at least 11 others were injured Saturday night at a concert in southeast Oak Cliff, Dallas police said.
Officers arrived just 11:30 p.m. at the 5000 block of Cleveland Road, near Bonnie View Road and Interstate 20, after reports of a shooting at a concert.
Officers found Kealon Dejuane Gilmore near the stage with a gunshot wound to his head, police said. He was pronounced dead at the location, according to police.
Eleven people were hospitalized in connection to the shooting, police said Sunday afternoon. One person remains in critical condition while the others are in stable condition. Three juveniles were among those shot and taken to hospitals, police said. Police had previously said 10 people were shot.
It appears that one person fired a gun into the air and someone else fired a gun toward the crowd at the concert, police said. The incident is still under investigation, according to police.
A VIP badge found outside of the venue — an open field scattered with outdoor lights and abandoned cars blocked by a metal gate and police cars — promoted the second annual Epic Easter Bike Out and Field Party. The event included live performances, an Easter egg hunt, a trail ride and welcomed patrons to bring ATVs or horses.
A Facebook event flyer for the event advertised Big Boogie, a Memphis-based rapper, as its headliner. The flyer also noted that Dallas police would be on site. Some promotional material for the concert stated that guests would be subject to metal detectors, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reported. Dallas police have not confirmed whether officers from the department worked security at the Saturday event, according to WFAA.
In a social media post, the musician apologized to his fans, saying that the shooting occurred before he arrived at the concert venue and that he was praying for the victims.
Michelle White, 43, was near the side of the stage when she heard loud bangs that she said mimicked “firecrackers.”
White, who was driving an ATV, said she helped two wounded people — a man who had been shot in the leg and a woman who had been grazed by a bullet — onto her vehicle and attempted to push through the crowd that was rushing to escape down Cleveland Road.
Police and emergency vehicles and crews were unable to get through the panicked crowd, she said. White said she was also driving paramedics, but her ATV was stalled for an hour as they tried to maneuver through the chaotic scene.
“I’ve never felt more helpless in my life,” she said.
At least one abandoned ATV was seen past a train track adjacent to the field. Scattered nearby were shoes, belts, hats, food and debris.
Just two weeks ago, on March 19, gunfire erupted about midnight at The Space Dallas, a party venue in South Dallas near U.S. Route 175. Some people waiting in line were hit. Anthony Deshun Wilson, 18, died and another nine people were wounded, police said.
An investigation into Saturday night’s incident is ongoing, Dallas police said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Dallas police Detective Christopher Anderson at 214-671-3616 or c.anderson@dallascityhall.com. They should refer to case No. 057740-2022.
