U.S. Attorney announces federal action following deadly Deep Ellum Halloween shootings

What happened? On Halloween night, thousands of people went to Deep Ellum to celebrate. This is one of Dallas's most iconic and vibrant neighborhoods. Instead of night filled with music and memories, three separate shootings happened, leaving four people dead and 15 injured that we know of. That is not a night out. That is a community in mourning. We will not accept this as normal. Deep Ellum belongs to the artists, None of us will. the musicians, the workers, the business owners, the families, and the visitors who give this community its heartbeat. It does not belong to anyone who thinks a gun gives them ownership over a street, and it does not belong to anyone who believes the federal government will just watch this thing slip away. Let me be crystal clear. Attorney General Blanch, who I spoke with this morning, has empowered us to use every single tool to fight violent crime specifically in Deep Ellum. Everyone deserves the freedom to walk down the street to celebrate a fun night out during our nation's holidays and to simply exist in public without fear for their safety or their children's safety. To the victims and their families, we see you and we will not look away. I'm sorry this happened to you, but I can say that we are unleashing federal resources together with our state and local counterparts to identify, charge, and put in prison as long as possible under the law those who murdered your loved ones. Today we are announcing Operation Deep Cover. We will cover every inch of Deep Ellum with law enforcement. Some officers will wear uniforms, others will wear plain clothes. If you're thinking about committing a crime here you will not know who's watching. We while the increased state, local and federal presence, you'll only know that someone is and it starts right now with actions, not just words. Here's the first case. Today we federally charged Travion Demby with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Here is what the affidavit states. He was here on that night and pointed a loaded gun in the direction of a crowd at about 1 a.m. Sunday, a Dallas police officer and I might add a heroic officer. Responded to gunfire at the 2600 block of Main Street where we are generally today. The officer saw a man dressed in black wearing a ski mask pointing a handgun towards Main Street. So the officer instead of running away or ducking and covering does what our DPD officers do every day. They run to the gunfire, they run to the danger. The officer ordered him to drop the weapon. According to the affidavit, he refused at first but then handed it over. And then thereafter led the officers on a short pursuit. Officers were able to detain him and discovered that the gun was a nine millimeter pistol with 16 rounds, including one in the chamber ready to go. So again, this officer's actions we believe prevented future violence. As is too often the story, Mr. Demby is a frequent flyer in committing crimes. He has prior convictions for four, not three, not two, not one. Four aggravated robberies and was also on state parole at the time. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms. That is an invaluable tool that we use to get bad guys off the streets and something that our chief here has committed himself all across Dallas in charging, and we're very grateful for his partnership. But again, thanks to the very quick response of this Dallas police officer, a loaded stolen gun was taken off the street before it could do harm. I also want to recognize the ATF and the DPD investigators who worked around the clock. I spoke with the chief and my partners up here that morning on Sunday morning and said this this is not going to happen to our great city and they all were on board. Chief already had come up with a plan on how to address this and I can tell you that this is not going to keep happening. So what is Operation Deep Cover going to do? Number one, more boots on the ground. We're devoting more federal law enforcement resources to Deep Ellum, working side by side with our state and local partners. Number two, it's a direct line. We're creating a direct line to Dallas PD for Deep Ellum's crimes. So we're gonna review everything that hits DPD's files as it relates to violent crime and drug dealing. My violent crime chief, Jeremy Fugate, will be leading monthly meetings with DPD so information moves very quickly. And that we can get bad guys taken off the streets who come into Deep Ellum to commit crimes. Three, aggressive prosecution. I'm going to prosecute every single offense I can. And we're going to use creative statutes to prosecute other offenses. So yes, we are going to charge felon of possession. And yes, we're going to charge drug dealing. But if we have a common nucleus or nexus to some of these guys, if they're a gang and they're coming here and committing indiscriminate violence, they're going to meet the whirlwind of this team up here. We did this actually in Arlington, Texas, where I talked to the police chief there, and we charged 21 kick-dope gang members who were terrorizing a community. The chief told me that that was responsible for leading to a dramatic dip in violent crime. So we're going to be looking at everything, undercovering every rock, to see if there's any common nucleus to these acts of violence. And if there is, we're going to charge them under statutes called VICAR and RICO. And those statutes carry with them up to life imprisonment, as well as potentially the death penalty. A second look. So this isn't just starting now and going forward. I've looked at old case files and I've directed my team to look at old case files from the last number of years. I'm not going to put a specific date on it, but we are going through old case files that impacted Deep Ellum to round folks up that committed crimes here. The previous administration may have made a choice to not prosecute cases. That's neither here nor there. But we're going to still go through the old files and charge those cases federally if we can charge those cases. It is my belief that some of those folks who have previously gotten out like this guy on parole early came back to the same area and committed crimes. Number five, no case slips through. We set up an intake team with the Dallas County folks led by, on my side, two assistant United States attorneys to note that every single case that can go federal will in fact go federal. And in the federal system we have two things. Number one is we detain people. Before trial. That means they don't go through the carousel of justice and get out pending the outcome of the trial because they're a danger to the community or a flight risk. So we detain people so they can stop harming others. Number two is we have a thing called truth and sentencing. That means if you get 30 years, you're likely doing most of that 30 years. There's no Mickey Mouse calculation that happens. 30 years means 30 years, we also have mandatory minimums. That means that the judge doesn't have any discretion to go below what we charge. And that's something that the Trump administration and General Blanch has put a primary focus on in addressing violent crime. To the people of Deep Ellum, you should be able to enjoy this neighborhood without fear, we can't do it without you. So if you see something, please say something, and I'm going to share two numbers. Dallas Police Department, 1-877-373-TIPS. Please call the DPD folks, and FBI Dallas, 1-800-CALL-FBI. Just know that your tip could save a life. And I'll end with this, a message to anyone planning violence to this community. We are watching. Commit a crime here, and you will face prosecution and the full weight of the federal government. Deep Ellum's music will not be silenced by gunfire or other crimes. The violence has to end and it will end. This is simply too great of a place to let it slip. I'm tired of reading the news stories, okay? If you come here and you commit a crime, I'm coming for you. Let me be crystal clear about that. So Operation Deep Cover starts today and it will not end until Deep Ellum is safe. Thank you and I'll now turn it over to ATF Dallas Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Joseph Sente. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, U.S. Attorney Rabel. I am Joseph Senti, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Dallas Field Division. Today, we are sending a clear message. The violent and deep elm must stop. We are committed to making sure it does. For too long, violent criminals have put lives at risk, threatened businesses, and turned a neighborhood known for its energy and culture into a place where people have to worry about their safety. That ends now. The U.S. Attorney's Office along with ATF and our local law enforcement partners are launching Operation Deep Cover with one objective to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for violence in Deep Ellum. ATF has long maintained a strong presence alongside our Dallas Police Department partners with our personnel embedded in their operations and our agents focused on addressing violent crime in Deep Ellum. This is not a new commitment. We have been working in this neighborhood alongside our partners to identify violent Defenders and hold them accountable. Operation Deep Cover builds on that foundation. We bring resources, investigative capabilities, and unwavering commitment to the mission through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, better known as NIBIN. We will connect firearms-related evidence, identify links between shootings, and help investigate and build stronger cases against violent offenders. Combined with our intelligence and our other investigative techniques, we will work relentlessly to bring these criminals to justice. This is more than just making arrests. It's about changing the environment in Deep Ellum. It's about making sure violent offenders understand that their actions and consequences and that law enforcement will not stop until the violence is brought under control. Operation Deep Cover begins today, but our commitment does not end with this press conference. It is sustained commitment to restoring safety and making sure those who threaten this community understand that their actions will have serious consequences. The residents of Deep Ellum deserve it. Thank you. I think, uh... Hey, good afternoon. I'm Joe Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Dallas. I want to start today by offering my condolences to the families of the victims who lost their loved ones to the senseless violence that occurred in Deep Ellum over the weekend. Along with the United States Attorney Raybould, Chief Como, and our federal law enforcement partners, we are here to announce Operation Deep Cover, an initiative aimed at combating violent crime that the Deep Ellum community has faced. The purpose of this initiative is to leverage our partnerships, Partnerships among state, local and federal law enforcement as well as the community in order to reduce violent crime and increase community safety. The threats our communities face are increasingly complex and our partnerships are central, our partnerships are central in our ability to combat violent incidents like those that occurred over this past weekend. I want to recognize and thank all of law enforcement that are here today and who are committed to ensuring the safety of our communities. If you have information about a violent crime or if you see something suspicious, please call local law enforcement or notify the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Thank you and I'll now turn it over to Chief Como. What happened this weekend in Deep Ellum is unacceptable. This is going to stop. It's going to change. This is what right looks like. All the partners, the entire team is going to come together as one. We're putting all our badge in the same hat to make a difference here in Deep Ellum. We have a plan in place. We have a new plan in place, even better plan than what we had before. And that's because of our partnership that we have right here. It is going to multiply. It will be safe here. The work that the Dallas Police Department has already been doing. It's there. We were able to respond immediately, but now, this right here, this doesn't happen as fast as it happened this time. So I want to thank you. Where's the U.S. Attorney? There he is. I want to thank you, because I tell you what, this doesn't happen this fast. This individual here that was walking around with a gun, pointing the gun, he's probably going to look at about 15 years for doing this. He's been arrested four times for aggravated robberies, four times, walking the streets of Deep Ellum. Unacceptable. And what our partners, they're going to feel it. You come out here with weapons, you come out here doing bad, you're going to feel it from DPD and all the federal partners. And I'm going to challenge them to be with us as long as they need to be here, and I don't think it's going to change. I'm going to challenge them also for funding to help us in every area that we need it, so everyone understands how important this is. You will see a difference from what you've seen in the past. Thank you. We can take questions, and I'll pass it to one of my colleagues if I can't answer all. Yeah, Mr. Rapp. Good to see you today, sir. Nice seeing you. So let me ask you, you said you spoke, and the full bear of the government's support on this. Are we talking about federal agents with Dallas police on the streets of Deep Ellum, and are we talking about monies to pay for overtime? Because DPD is already, some of the council members have raked this department over for being overtime. So I'll let the chief answer the funding piece. What I can tell you, the way I see this operating is very similar to Project Safe Neighborhoods, where we share intelligence, we focus federal resources, we meet with members of the community who tell us what the problems are, and then we bring our tools to bear, which are substantial federal tools to put the bad guys away. I'm going to go through old cases. In the last number of years and identify people that have come to this area and hurt others that were never prosecuted or weren't prosecuted appropriately. And what do I mean by that? People that got a slap on the wrist. And I'm not criticizing anyone for their prior decisions. I just deal with facts. And the facts are that if you come here and you hurt people, it has created a problem for the business owners and for the other people that just want to enjoy the music and the good food. And I'm coming for you. So stay for tonight, chief. Just understand, we're going to work shoulder to shoulder to make sure we keep everyone safe here. I'm not going to give all the plan away. Just know we're watching, we see you, and we're working together. In the federal government, the penalty's stiff. When we catch you, it's stiff. Thanks, sir. Yeah so what we know now there are separate investigations. We have three separate investigations. The homicide team is working on it right now putting a lot of information together. We're still looking for tips. As I requested before we need help from the public. They're reviewing cameras right now. I wouldn't be surprised right now that some of these businesses looking at videos right now trying to piece this all together. We are getting some information in. We do have some witnesses but we need more. And we really need the public to help us out. Every minute you see a new video pop up on social media, we're on social media looking at every single video to see what we can identify. We do have some tips. We do have some leads on some suspects. And we are looking into them right now.