DALLAS (AP) — Law enforcement will beef up its presence in a Dallas entertainment district where several deadly shootings occurred over the weekend, federal authorities announced Monday as they joined elected officials nationwide in decrying gun violence in popular public places.
Across the country, numerous mass shootings on Halloween left at least eight people dead and dozens more injured. In Dallas, three shootings in Deep Ellum, a neighborhood of music and restaurants, left four people dead and 15 injured over the span of an hour and 15 minutes early Sunday.
“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,” Ryan Raybould, U.S. attorney for the northern district of Texas, said at a news conference.
Many shootings occurred around gathering spots during the confluence of what might be one of the last spells of warm weather this year that drew large crowds outside on Halloween, which this year happened to fall on a weekend.
As investigators continued to look for suspects and the motives behind the shootings, word spread of even more mass violence over the weekend. Two separate shootings occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, after the annual “Magic City Classic” college football game Saturday night. And police in college towns reported shootings in their nightlife districts where annual Halloween gatherings are popular, including in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Newark, Delaware; Bloomington, Illinois; and Bloomington, Indiana.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said police are pursuing leads on possible suspects in the Deep Ellum shootings.
“So the information that we have right now, this is senseless,” Comeaux said. “It makes absolutely no sense. We’re talking about individuals with arguments, and people end up dead for absolutely no reason other than the disagreement.”
Comeaux has said investigators were trying to determine if the shootings were related.
Comeaux and Raybould were joined by others at a news conference to announce “Operation Deep Cover,” a federal and local law enforcement response to gun violence in Deep Ellum.
Raybould said one man who allegedly wore a ski mask and pointed a loaded gun in the direction of a crowd in Deep Ellum was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Dallas police had increased their presence before the shootings in the entertainment district, which had experienced deadly violence earlier this year.
Two people were fatally stabbed during a fight outside a nightclub in February, and a security guard was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight inside a nightclub in May. There also have been nonfatal shootings, including during Cinco de Mayo festivities in May when five people were wounded outside of a sports bar, police said.
“The violence has to end, and it will end,” Raybould said. “I’m tired of reading news stories.”
Multiple academic studies of police department and hospital data from major cities over the last decade have shown gun violence is more frequent at night, on weekends and on holidays. Several studies have pointed to the July Fourth holiday as being one of the most or the most violent holiday because of dark hours for fireworks celebrations, combined with alcohol consumption and other factors. New Year’s and Halloween were also high on the list for gun violence incidents.
Last year the homicide rate in the United States dropped to its lowest point in 75 years, according to FBI numbers on 2025 crime. Those numbers showed homicides decreased by 18% and overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year.
Cities and municipalities across the country largely have been experiencing drops in homicides and violence, with a few exceptions, for the past few years. Federal authorities and nonprofit groups have noted national violent crime and homicide rates have been declining since 2022. Experts also noted that trend had continued through the first six months of 2026.
In Jackson, Mississippi, two people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting during a Halloween costume party at a nightclub early Sunday, police said. Just before the shooting, two men entered the club wearing ski masks. At some point at least one of the suspects opened fire into the crowd, police said. The suspects have not yet been identified.
A 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were killed in the shooting. Six others were taken to hospitals with injuries that didn’t appear to be life-threatening, police said.
“No one should have to fear for their life while enjoying an evening out,” Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement following the shooting.
Near Indiana University's campus, seven people were wounded in a shooting early Sunday in a busy nightlife area. None of the victims were believed to be students, police said.
“This is unacceptable in Bloomington, and in any community,” Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said Sunday in a video address shared on social media.
Even with increased police staffing, no public safety plan can eliminate every act of violence, Thomson said.
In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight others were wounded in two separate shootings just outside Legion Field on Saturday night. Alabama State and Alabama A&M are archrivals whose annual contest has been played for more than 100 years. Nearly 70,000 fans attended the game, won by Alabama A&M 31-28.
Michael Pickett, chief of the Birmingham Police Department, said most spectators and families had left the stadium property after the game. The first shooting happened nearby, where vendors were set up along Graymont Avenue.
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Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. AP reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
