Dallas jury awards $76M to families, survivors of 2022 mass shooting
A Dallas County jury awarded more than $76 million to survivors of a mass shooting at a 2022 concert event, attorneys said in a statement.
The verdict, handed down last Friday, covers claims brought by the family of Kealon Gilmore, who was killed, and wounded survivors including Jazmin Anderson, who was shot in the head, according to the statement.
More than 2,000 people attended the April 2, 2022, event, which was held on the property of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Oak Cliff, according to testimony presented at trial.
Organizers promoted the event as a family-friendly space with an Easter egg hunt and horse rides for children, according to the statement. A later social media post promised metal detectors, controlled entry and exit gates and on-site security from off-duty Dallas police officers.
The event also featured a concert headlined by Memphis rapper Big Boogie, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
Before midnight, gunfire erupted near the concert stage after a fight broke out among people in the crowd, according to the statement. Gilmore, who was near the stage, was shot in the head and died at the scene. Eleven others, including Anderson, were wounded.
Traffic jams and blocked emergency routes delayed the response time of emergency medical services, attorneys said.
Plaintiffs alleged that the event promoters were negligent in failing to secure required permits, not providing adequate security or crowd control and misrepresenting the event as safe for families, according to the statement.
Anderson testified at trial that she attended the event after seeing the social media posts promising security, but that she and others entered without passing through any security screening, according to the statement. As a result of her injury, Anderson underwent an emergency craniotomy and now lives with a titanium plate in her head.
Anderson testified that she still suffers from memory problems and debilitating headaches.
The jury assigned 60 percent of the liability to event organizers and the remaining 40 percent to St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, according to the statement. The verdict is still subject to post-trial motions and possible appeals.
“The people who sold tickets to that event broke every safety promise they made,” said attorney Katie Steele of Varghese-Summersett. “This verdict doesn’t undo what happened to Jazmin or the other victims, but it holds these defendants accountable, and it tells every promoter in Dallas that you cannot advertise metal detectors, security, and controlled gates, then deliver none of it, and try to walk away when people get hurt or killed.”
