Fair Park neighborhood wants justice, more safeguards after deadly weekend shooting
DALLAS — It was a violent weekend in Dallas with at least four shootings that left three dead and close to a dozen people hurt. However, a shooting near Fair Park has Dallas Police taking a close look at its actions.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia says the department is conducting an internal investigation on how officers handled a large party near Fair Park, where a woman died and eight others were shot and suffered minor injuries.
Witnesses said they saw officers do little to de-escalate the situation.
"I'm just really angry. I'm really angry with them. With the police," says one witness, who didn't want her name used or face shown.
A memorial of balloons and flowers now sits on the corner of Collins Ave and Clarkson, where 21-year-old Coriesha Bradford was shot and killed at a block party early Sunday morning.
"I cried because it's senseless," said a witness. "There's young kids out here killing each other."
She also says she saw a gun at the party when she called 911 and says at least eight police cars came out to investigate and left the scene without breaking up the crowd.
According to DPD, officers responded to the initial shooting call at the party around 11 p.m. Investigators say, when officers arrived, the shooting stopped, and officers stayed in the area to monitor the crows. Police then say, around 1:30 a.m., shows were fired again, injuring eight people and killing Bradford.
"I heard the gunshots and it was I called 911. It sounded like a warzone really," says neighbor Alendra Lyons.
Lyons says the neighborhood is known as Mill City, and this type of crime is nothing new. She founded the Mill City Association to help reduce crime and large parties.
"We're working on vacant lots. We're working on the reduction of crime. It's working – but we really are needing to get a police officer here that is here 24-7, to enforce people doing right," Lyons explains.
DPD says no arrests have been made in the case yet. The Mill City Neighborhood and Bradford's family are now praying for justice.
"We love her and we want to get to the bottom of this. Koriesha didn't deserve this," Tasha Oudems, Bradford's aunt, says.
CBS News Texas did reach out to Chief Garcia regarding the internal investigation as well as the violence this weekend. We are told Chief Garcia will not make any additional statements until the investigation in complete.