DALLAS — Two people were hospitalized Sunday night after they were injured in a shooting that broke out in Uptown Dallas, police said. One person has been arrested.
It was around 10 p.m. when two groups of people got into a fight inside Rocco’s Pizza, police say. Officers responded to the 2600 block of Howell Street.
Police arrested 22-year-old Davion Whiting-Hill in the aggravated assault.
According an arrest affidavit, when police arrived, the suspect had an “empty handgun and stated he had fired shots at unknown people.”
A witness agreed to talk to WFAA but asked not to be identified.
”We were literally in the restaurant eating. I guess emotion broke out, and we were walking to the car and standing near the driver side of vehicle and shots rang out," said the witness.
Police said she and her friend had nothing to do with the argument. They were just innocent bystanders.
“There were at least 30 shots that were involved. I’m not sure which direction he was shooting, who was the intended target. We were caught in the crossfire," she said.
When the shooting stopped, Jabre Swanigan had been shot in the head. Officials said he was not involved in the initial argument. He's in critical condition at Parkland Hospital.
“It was traumatic. I’ve never experienced anything like that. There were people walking by me saying, 'He’s dead, He’s dead.'”
Another victim who was involved in the argument and had left the scene was located at a nearby hospital, police said. He had a gunshot wound to the leg and remains in stable condition, police said.
Dallas police have been working to reduce violent crime by putting more officers in hot spots and entertainment districts. Dallas police said homicides are down 7% and aggravated assaults are dropping too.
Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said police can’t do it alone.
”We can not put a police officer in every single corner of the City of Dallas. It’s impossible. It has to fall on the community to understand right from wrong and the value of life and control their anger and move on. Dallas police can’t solve that,” said Mata.
Mata said police are fighting another battle since Texas law now allows people to have a handgun without having a permit.
“This is not a constitutional issue. When you have a permit to carry you have to go through de-escalation classes. In other words, you get that explanation on how to attempt to bring down a situation instead of going to a weapon,” said Mata.
Mata said it’s also up to judges and the district attorney to hold violent criminals accountable so they aren’t right back on the streets.