Undercurrent
Menu

Full Cases

Block by Block: Deep Ellum, Dallas

By the Undercurrent desk · Published

Video · 14:16 · Watch on YouTube

UPDATE (Nov. 10, 2026): Dallas police are asking the public to help identify three persons of interest seen on surveillance video leaving the 2600 block of Elm Street shortly after Isaiah Boling, 20, was shot and killed there about 12:19 a.m. on Nov. 1. Police say they want to identify them; none of the three has been accused or charged. Tips: Sgt. Boz Rojas, Dallas Police, #10379, 214-671-3598. Police release: https://dpdbeat.com/2026/11/01/overnight-deep-ellum-shootings/

Deep Ellum is Dallas's music and nightlife district: a railroad junction that dates to 1873, a blues street in the 1920s, a music scene again since the 1980s, and today more than 400 businesses, the Deep Ellum Foundation says, with dozens of stages and walls covered in murals.

Block by Block is our series about city places where violence keeps happening. Here, the city's own police data counts at least 141 aggravated assaults and murders on Deep Ellum's core blocks since 2020; most began between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The latest: early Nov. 1, 2026, four people were killed and at least 15 wounded in three shootings there, police say. Dallas police named the four killed on Nov. 4: Anthony Martin, 25; Unique Benjamin, 28; Kaniesa Scott, 21; and Isaiah Boling, 20. As of Nov. 7, 2026, two men face federal charges (presumed innocent); no one has been charged in the four deaths.

We walked the blocks: the history, the data, what's been tried, and the people who work there. Go, enjoy it, be aware.

What's confirmed

  1. Three shootings, about 12:20, 1:05 and 1:35 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2026: the 2600 blocks of Elm and Main Streets and the 200 block of S. Crowdus Street (Dallas Police).
  2. 4 killed, at least 15 wounded. Dallas police named all four people killed on Nov. 4 (DPD Beat, Update 11/4/2026): Anthony Martin, 25; Unique Benjamin, 28; and Kaniesa Scott, 21, who were shot on South Crowdus Street; and Isaiah Boling, 20, shot at 2600 Elm Street.
  3. Police say they have no evidence so far that the three shootings are connected. Police say other shooters are still at large and have asked anyone who was there to send in video.
  4. Charges, as of Nov. 7, 2026 (U.S. Attorney's Office, N.D. Texas; Dallas Police): two men are charged by federal criminal complaint with being felons in possession of a firearm. One (complaint announced Nov. 5) is accused of firing into the crowd at 2626 Main Street and wounding seven people; he also faces seven state counts of aggravated assault, per Dallas Police. The other (announced Nov. 2) was arrested at the scene; the complaint does not allege he fired. A complaint is an allegation, and both are presumed innocent. No one has been charged in the four deaths.
  5. Nov. 2Dallas police, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould and the FBI, ATF and DEA announced Operation Deep Cover (more federal help and more officers).

Still open

Who is responsible for the four deaths, and why. Why violence rose again in 2025: police and the city haven't said.

Method (our count)

City of Dallas Open Data, Police Incidents (qv6i-rri7), pulled Nov. 2, 2026. Aggravated assault + murder incidents on Elm, Main, Commerce and Canton (Good Latimer to Exposition) plus the cross streets' first blocks, Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2026. At least 141 incidents; at least 102 began 10 p.m.-4 a.m.; at least 96 on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The file is preliminary and misses some killings, so every number is a minimum; deaths are counted from police statements. Safety-plan figures are the Deep Ellum Foundation's own.

What happens next

A public meeting Wed., Nov. 4 and a business meeting Fri., Nov. 6. We'll update this video when police announce further charges.

Photo credits

Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress (public domain); Joe Mabel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0), Brittygriffy (CC BY-SA 4.0), Matthew T Rader (CC BY-SA 4.0), RadicalBender (public domain), IcedCowboyCoffee (CC0) / Wikimedia Commons.

Follow for the next Block by Block.

The record · as of Nov. 8, 2026

How we know

Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.

What happens next

We check these records for changes: DPD news: Deep Ellum Halloween shootings arrests/charges/victim IDs.

Verified timeline

  1. 1983-01-01History: Deep Ellum grew up after the Civil War as a freedmen's town on Elm St east of downtown, by the Houston & Texas Central depot ('Deep Elm' / Central Track); by the 1920s a retail and entertainment center for primarily Black Dallas residents; blues players incl. Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lead Belly (from 1920). The 1969 elevated Central Expressway bisected it; the Jan. 1983 'Deep Ellum Plan' opened the arts/music revival. DATE FIELD = 1983 plan; earlier dates are era-level.TSHA Handbook of Texas; Southern Spaces; UNT Press (Govenar & Brakefield); Wikipedia refs
  2. 2022-05-12Deep Ellum Foundation, Dallas police and council member Jesse Moreno unveil a community safety plan: 25 cameras monitored 24/7 at a Main Street command center, weekend closures of Main and Elm, ride-share zones.FOX 4 May 12 2022; WFAA; CBS Texas; NBC News (May 13: 'one day after')
  3. 2022-05-13~2:04 a.m., 2800 block of Elm St: five men shot, two died at the hospital; police say members of two parties fired at each other and three others were struck in the crossfire, including two bystanders; DPD: all parties identified. Day after the plan was unveiled. Participants NOT named (police say involved).DPD Beat release May 13 2022 (primary); NBC News; FOX 7/FOX 4; WFAA
  4. 2022-11-01DPD creates a dedicated Deep Ellum police unit (month-level date; the 2026 Safety Plan says the unit was cut to four days a week in 2024).WFAA; Dallas Express; DMN 2026; Deep Ellum Foundation Safety Plan 2.0
  5. 2024-12-31Violent crime in the district declined 2022-2024 (DPD spokesperson Corbin Rubinson via DMN 2026; Deep Ellum Foundation via NBC 5 Aug 2025: down ~20% from the 2022 plan to summer 2025). Our open-data count agrees in direction (22.DMN 2026; NBC 5 Aug 2025; City of Dallas Open Data qv6i-rri7 (our count)
  6. 2025-03-13DPD announces Friday/Saturday Deep Ellum street closures, barricades typically starting at 10 p.m. (map released).DPD Beat Mar 13 2025 (primary); Deep Ellum Foundation Safety Plan 2.0
  7. 2025-07-05~2:25 a.m. Sat., Fourth of July weekend: shooting under the bridge at Canton St and S. Good Latimer Expwy, one man killed, at least six wounded; separately that weekend an officer shot an armed man police say pointed a gun at the officer. Neither the man killed nor the man shot by police is named in our VO.CBS Texas Jul 8 2025; NBC 5 Jul 2025; NBC 5 Aug 2025
  8. 2025-07-31DPD announces Deep Ellum streets (Main, Elm, Indiana, Malcolm X, Monument) close at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 'for the foreseeable future' (spokesman Jonathan Maner), after deadly shootings since mid-June.KERA Jul 31 2025; NBC 5 Aug 1 2025; CBS Texas
  9. 2025-12-312025: violent crime in the district rose again (Foundation: assaults up ~92% by June, under +16% for the full year; our open-data count 9. 2026 down ~18% YTD as of the March 2026 plan.Deep Ellum Foundation Safety Plan 2.0; DMN Nov 2026 (citing Foundation); City of Dallas Open Data (our count)
  10. 2026-05-05~10:30 p.m.: five people shot near Commerce St and Malcolm X Blvd; police say unrelated to the security-guard killing about two hours later one block away.FOX 4 May 6 2026; Univision Dallas; NBC 5
  11. 2026-05-06~12:30 a.m., 2800 block of Elm St: security guard Joseph Gray, 26, shot and killed after trying to break up a fight inside a business (police). A suspect was arrested at the scene and CHARGED with murder (case #064334-2026); not tried; NOT named; venue NOT named.DPD Beat May 6 2026 (primary); FOX 4; Univision; CBS Texas
  12. 2026-05-11Dallas council members call for certificate-of-occupancy inspections of late-night Deep Ellum venues.FOX 4 May 11 2026; Dallas Observer ('radical changes')
  13. 2026-11-01DPD release: 19 victims across the three scenes, four pronounced deceased and 15 injured; no officers injured; suspects outstanding; cases #160927-2026, #160964-2026, #160966-2026.DPD Beat release Nov 1 2026; DPD briefing video (official YouTube)
  14. 2026-11-01Chief Comeaux on DPD's own video: 'This is completely unacceptable for it to take place in Dallas' (~1:33) and 'We looked at the plan. We knew it was Saturday night. We knew it was Halloween. So we were staffed properly.' (~2:13).Dallas Police Department official YouTube lOQwY5LhYiw (asset #754); FOX 4 Nov 1 2026
  15. 2026-11-01~12:20 a.m. 2600 block Elm St; ~1:05 a.m. 2600 block Main St; ~1:35 a.m. 200 block S. Crowdus St: three shootings in ~75 minutes after Halloween night (NBC 5 gives 12:19/1:00/1:35).DPD Beat Nov 1 2026 (primary); FOX 4; DMN; NBC 5; ABC News
  16. 2026-11-01Police say they have no information/evidence the three shootings are related (attribute; never state as fact).NBC 5 (Comeaux); FOX 4; DMN; CBS Texas
  17. 2026-11-01Extra officers were deployed for Halloween; officers less than two blocks away responded, gave first aid and revived at least one person (police).FOX 4; NBC 5; DPD briefing video
  18. 2026-11-01Chief Comeaux asked anyone with video or photos to send them in ('We need all the videos you have'); tip line Sgt. Boz Rojas 214-671-3598.DPD release + video (primary); CBS Texas; NBC 5; FOX 4
  19. 2026-11-01Injured count is fluid (some victims self-transported); use 'at least 15 wounded' and re-verify within 24h of render.FOX 4; DPD release (15 injured)
  20. 2026-11-01A person was arrested nearby on a federal unlawful-firearm-possession charge after police say he aimed a pistol at a crowd; officials say he is NOT a suspect in the three shootings. Not named; not linked.CBS Texas; DMN
  21. 2026-11-02U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould (N.D. Tex.) announced a federal-local initiative named 'Operation Deep Cover' at the Nov. 2 news conference with Chief Comeaux and ATF, FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals, HSI and Texas DPS; more uniformed and plainclothes officers in Deep Ellum.CBS News Texas (Ablon, Nov 2 2026); Dallas Observer (Nov 2 2026)
  22. 2026-11-02Dallas County ME identifies two of the four killed: Kaniesa Scott, 21, and Unique Elise Benjamin, 28. The other two not publicly identified by the ME as of Nov. 2.FOX 4 Nov 2; DMN (via Yahoo); FOX 7; NBC 5; WBAP
  23. 2026-11-02Shooters remain at large; no one charged in the three shootings (DPD: 'suspects remain outstanding'; DMN spokesman Maner: detained people not facing charges related to the shootings).DPD Beat (primary); DMN; Dallas Observer; CBS Texas
  24. 2026-11-02Federal partners at the Nov. 2 conference: ATF, FBI Dallas, DEA Dallas, U.S. Marshals, HSI Dallas, Texas DPS; mixed uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol Deep Ellum; Raybould/Comeaux promised violent offenders a 'whirlwind' from officers and prosecutors.CBS Texas Nov 2; Dallas Observer Nov 2; DMN

Also in our research file

Updates and corrections

  • UPDATE (Nov. 10, 2026): Dallas police are asking the public to help identify three persons of interest seen on surveillance video leaving the 2600 block of Elm Street shortly after Isaiah Boling, 20, was shot and killed there about 12:19 a.m. on Nov. 1. Police say they want to identify them; none of the three has been accused or charged. Tips: Sgt. Boz Rojas, Dallas Police, #10379, 214-671-3598. Police release: https://dpdbeat.com/2026/11/01/overnight-deep-ellum-shootings/

U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas (press releases Nov. 2 and Nov. 5, 2026, with the criminal complaints); Dallas Police Department (DPD Beat, Nov. 1, Nov. 4 [names of the four killed] and Nov. 5, 2026; news conference video); City of Dallas Open Data; Deep Ellum Foundation, Community Safety Plan 2.0 (Mar. 2026); FOX 4; NBC 5; The Dallas Morning News; CBS News Texas; KERA News; KVUE; WFAA; Dallas Observer; ABC News; CNN; Dallas Innovates; Southern Spaces; CultureMap; PaperCity.

Workers, owners and visitors are quoted by role from the outlets named on screen.

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of Full Cases: the long-form case files

Keep reading

Related cases

Full Cases

Escape from Alcatraz: The Unsolved Case File

Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin left Alcatraz on June 11, 1962. Here is what the FBI, the U.S. Marshals and the record say, and what…

Updated Nov. 7, 2026