DART train murder: Second deadly shooting in one week
Second fatal shooting on DART train in one week
A person was fatally shot Sunday evening on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train at the Pearl Station in the Dallas Arts District. The shooting marks the second deadly incident on the DART rail system in one week, following the Sept. 29 killing of Irving bartender Daniel Gromley.
DALLAS - A person was fatally shot Sunday evening on a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) train. This is the second deadly shooting on the public transit system in one week.
What we know:
The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. Sunday at the Pearl Station in the Dallas Arts District, according to DART police. One person was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe there was some type of argument before the shots were fired.
"There were three other people, three other witnesses, and we've got witness statements from them," said DART Police Chief Charles Cato. "There's no suspect in custody at this time for this incident."
While investigators do not have a suspect description, they believe it was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Trains resumed their normal schedule as of Monday morning.
DART Police Respond to Safety Concerns
What they're saying:
When questioned about rider safety on trains, Chief Cato said DART has invested in more officers. However, they are allocated based on data for peak times and problem areas.
"I would say that we work diligently every day, the men and women of the Dallas-Area Rapid Transit Police Department, working with our 13 member city police departments to make our system as safe as possible. However, with that said, we're not immune to the ills of society today. We're violence and easy access to firearms, and the willingness to use them takes place in schools and churches and other public places, and so while we're diligent and work very hard every day bad things, tragic things do happen," he said.
Local Official Calls for More Transparent Crime Data
Local perspective:
Dallas city council member Cara Mendelsohn says she’s been asking DART to regularly post the same data it, and other agencies, report to the FBI’s national incident-based reporting system. Dallas Police Department updates those numbers daily.
"That’s what I’ve been asking for from DART," said Mendelsohn.
"The public needs to know what the risks are, and we need to be tracking it. I think DART is trying to reduce crime. They’ve hired a lot of police officers and additional security."
DART provides quarterly crime stat updates to its committee of the whole. If people want the data, they’ll have to watch meeting clips online. During the last meeting in August, Chief Cato said type-A offenses, the most-serious crimes, are up 46%, but DART says that’s because it only recently added drug paraphernalia to the category. Excluding drug paraphernalia cases, DART says crime is down 6% and its arresting more people for reported crimes.
Mendelsohn, however, says DART needs to do a better job of regularly getting that data to taxpayers.
"This is going to give us standard information."
From April through June, DART reported 168 assaults and 24 aggravated assaults.
Second Deadly Incident in a Week
Man killed after argument on DART train in Dallas
A man was shot and killed Monday night following an argument aboard a DART train, according to DART police.
This follows a fatal shooting on Sept. 29, in which Irving bartender Daniel Gromley was killed after an argument at the Marketplace Station off Harry Hines Blvd. Christopher Akins was arrested and charged with murder in connection with that shooting. No other injuries were reported in the Sept. 29 incident.
Man killed after argument on DART train in Dallas
A man was shot and killed Monday night following an argument aboard a DART train, according to DART police.
The Source: Information in this article comes from DART police.