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Federal prosecutors in Dallas have charged 27-year-old David Dashaun Yancy with being a felon in possession of a firearm after a shooting that wounded seven people in the Deep Ellum entertainment district, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced on Thursday, November 5.
According to the criminal complaint, the shooting happened at about 1:00 a.m. on November 1 at 2626 Main Street, during Halloween celebrations. Prosecutors say surveillance footage shows Yancy drawing a handgun, racking the slide and concealing it, then later firing into a crowded street. Investigators recovered 11 spent 9mm casings. All seven victims had non-life-threatening injuries.
Yancy surrendered to Dallas police on November 4 and remains in custody. The office says he was on felony deferred adjudication probation for child endangerment and had an active warrant for a probation violation. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted. A criminal complaint is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The night was wider than one incident. Fox 4 reports three shootings within 75 minutes, beginning at about 12:20 a.m. on the 2600 block of Elm Street, then the 2600 block of Main Street, then the 200 block of South Crowdus Street. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux put the toll at four killed and about 15 hurt, and said the count could change because several victims drove themselves to hospitals. NBC 5 reports Comeaux said police had no information that the shootings were related, and no suspects in the four deaths had been publicly identified.
The federal charge came as authorities launched Operation Deep Cover on Monday, a coordinated federal, state and local effort against violent crime and illegal firearms in Dallas entertainment and commercial areas. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould announced additional uniformed and plainclothes officers, a direct line for reporting crime in the neighborhood and a review of Deep Ellum cases dating back to 2024. Qualifying cases will be prosecuted federally.
A second man, Demby, has also been charged federally with possessing a firearm in Deep Ellum. Fox 4 reports he was arrested around 1 a.m. while police responded, and NBC 5 reports police said he was not responsible for the shootings. Raybould told reporters: "If you're thinking about committing a crime here, you will not know who is watching."
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