Key Takeaways
- One person was killed, and five others were hospitalized after gunfire at an apartment complex in the 5900 block of Highland Village Drive in southeast Dallas on Saturday, September 12.
- Dallas police said an unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds at the location. No arrests have been announced, and investigators are still looking into the motive.
- The complex was the scene of a drive-by shooting roughly two months earlier that wounded four people, and the same block has seen two fatal shootings since October 2024.
Residents held a news conference days after the shooting, describing years of gunfire at the property, and community leaders say they are working with apartment management on measures including 24-hour video surveillance.
One Killed, Five Hospitalized in Shooting at Southeast Dallas Apartment Complex
Dallas police responded just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, to a shooting call in the 5900 block of Highland Village Drive, where an unknown number of suspects fired multiple rounds at the location, according to FOX 4. The address is the Estelle Village apartment complex in southeast Dallas, according to BNO News.
Six people were taken to area hospitals, one of them in critical condition, according to FOX 4. Police later said that Zariea Brown, 25, died at the hospital and that the motive and circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, CBS News Texas reported. Visible damage at the scene included several bullet holes in the complex’s walls and windows, according to FOX 4.
Police have not released suspect descriptions or announced any arrests, and the investigation is ongoing, according to BNO News. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective B. Billings at 214-671-3083 or by email at brewster.billings@dallaspolice.gov, CBS News Texas reported.
Prior Shootings at Estelle Village Apartments
This is not the first shooting at this property. In July, masked suspects opened fire from a vehicle at the Estelle Village Apartments, wounding four people. Three of them were seriously wounded, and the fourth was grazed by a bullet, according to FOX 4. No arrests were made, and police did not release suspect descriptions or a motive.
The same block has seen fatal gun violence as well. On October 15, 2024, officers responding to a shooting call in the 5900 block of Highland Village Drive found 36-year-old Quentin Brown shot in the parking lot of an apartment, and he later died at a hospital, according to WFAA. FOX 4 reported that the shooting took place in the parking lot of the Estelle Village Apartments.
About five weeks later, on November 20, 2024, Dallas police responded to another shooting call in the same block and found three men who had been shot, according to the Dallas Police Department. One of them, 40-year-old Eric Moore, died of his injuries, another was left in critical condition, and a third was in stable condition.
Residents Say the Violence Has Gone On for Years
Neighbors and community leaders held a news conference on Wednesday, September 16, demanding action after the weekend shooting, according to FOX 4. Longtime residents know the complex by the nickname “The Pinks,” and they told the station that violent crime there is a constant problem that has worsened over time.
Clara McDade, a community liaison who has lived in the neighborhood since 1963, said the property is raising serious concerns among nearby residents. “This one village here is causing too much chaos in our community,” McDade said, according to FOX 4. She described gang violence as a major concern and said a single night does not go by without her hearing gunshots nearby.
Subrina Brenham, a community activist whose business sits across the street from the complex, told the station she has heard gunshots, fights, and crime at that one property for the past 15 years and called it a nuisance for the community, FOX 4 reported. She said she has had to take cover from gunfire while working, and that she and her clients have had to duck inside the building when shots are fired.
Residents are now meeting with the Dallas police officers who patrol the area to discuss safety measures, and community leaders are working directly with apartment management on additional steps, according to FOX 4. One proposal under discussion is setting up 24-hour video surveillance at the property to help reduce violent crime.
What This Shooting Means for Negligent Security Claims
Under Texas law, a landlord or property owner that controls the security and safety of a premises may have a duty to take reasonable precautions against third-party criminal activity when it knows or has reason to know of an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm.
Rather than asking simply whether crime happens in the area, Texas courts can look at prior crimes and consider how close they occurred to the property, how recently, how often, how similar they were to the incident in question, and the publicity surrounding them. A vague awareness that a neighborhood has problems is not the same as a documented history of violence at or near a specific property.
Reported shootings at this complex and in the same block include a drive-by about two months before the September incident that wounded four people, a fatal shooting in an apartment parking lot in October 2024, and another shooting about five weeks later in which three men were shot and one died.
These incidents occurred at the complex or in the immediate block, and several involved multiple rounds being fired at people in or around apartment common areas.
A property owner’s knowledge of danger does not necessarily have to come from police reports. What the owner knew or should have known may depend on the circumstances and available evidence, including resident complaints or other reports of violence and safety concerns.
What the public record does not yet show is how the property responded. Whether security was added or reduced a
Key Factors in Evaluating a Potential Claim
Details that typically matter in evaluating whether an apartment complex met its duty to protect residents and their guests include:
- Whether management received and documented resident complaints about gunfire and crime, and what it did in response
- Whether lighting throughout the parking areas, walkways, and building entrances was adequate and in working order, given that this shooting happened around 1 a.m.
- Whether cameras covered the parking lot and other common areas, whether they were recording, and whether anyone was monitoring them
- Whether the property was gated or fenced, whether those controls were maintained, and whether people with no connection to the complex could enter and move through it freely
- Whether the complex employed security personnel or courtesy patrols
The shooting remains under investigation, police have released little about what led to it, and much of what would determine whether the property met its legal duty is publicly available information.
But when six people are shot at a complex that has been the scene of repeated gunfire over the past two years, and residents say the problem stretches back far longer than that, whether the property took reasonable steps to protect the people living there is a serious question that deserves a real answer.
Were You Injured in the Estelle Village Apartments Shooting or a Similar Incident?
If you or someone you love was injured in the shooting at the Estelle Village apartment complex, or in a violent incident at another apartment complex or residential property in Texas, you may have legal options against the property owner or management company.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we represent victims of negligent security at apartment complexes, residential properties, and other locations, holding property owners accountable when inadequate lighting, access control, camera coverage, or security staffing contributes to a preventable injury or death.
Our team can help you understand whether a property met its legal duty to protect you and what compensation may be available for medical bills, lost income, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering.
Every consultation is free and confidential.
