Parents of girl injured at Dallas concert file first lawsuit in connection to shooting

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The parents of a 14-year-old girl seriously injured in a Dallas concert shooting that left one dead and 16 wounded on April 2, 2022 have filed the first lawsuit related to the event.

The suit filed by Michael Rollerson and Gloria Smith Rollerson accuses the unsanctioned concert's promoters, performers, and organizers of negligence. It alleges that not only was the event not permitted to begin with, the defendants failed to follow through on "extreme safety measures" that they advertised would be taken at the "fun and safe family event." 

The safety measures advertised became more and more specific leading up to the event. They included onsite police and security, metal detectors, controlled entry and exit through specific gates to limit crowd size, and screening for alcohol, drugs, and other dangerous items. The suit asserts that none of these promises were fully followed through on.

Police and security officers were onsite for part of the event, but were not staffed for the whole time; there was "little to no security after 11:00 p.m." The other advertised measures were apparently not undertaken at all, and concert goers were able to enter and leave the unsanctioned event as they pleased and without being searched.

"This kind of negligence and senseless tragedy should never happen in our city. Those responsible must be held accountable and brought to justice through our legal system – for this family and for all the victims," according to the lead attorney, Ryan L. Thompson of Thompson Law.

The suit demands the defendants be held liable for medical costs and trauma the girl incurred as a result of the shooting.