Search finds no signs of gunshots fired at Dallas County Health building, sheriff says
A search of the Dallas County Health and Human Services building found no evidence of a shooting after an employee reported hearing loud noises Thursday afternoon, which led to a lockdown of the building and evacuation of workers.
Sheriff Marian Brown told reporters that the sounds might have been caused by construction, according to KTVT-TV.
SWAT officers found no one injured and no signs of gunshots during an initial sweep of the building. They were conducting a second search Thursday evening, Brown said.
The main building will be closed Friday, HHS said in a tweet.
An employee who was working on the fifth floor thought she heard about five gunshots on the fourth floor, according to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. The employee called her family, who then called police, leading to the investigation of the possible active shooter report about 2:30 p.m.
The building, located at 2377 North Stemmons Freeway near the Dallas medical district, was placed on lockdown, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Aerial views from TV cameras showed people being escorted out of the building as law enforcement cleared the building floor by floor. Employees told WFAA that they had received alerts about a possible active shooter in the building.
The medical examiner’s building next door was also evacuated.
There was a heavy police presence in the area, including Dallas County sheriff’s deputies. At least 13 Dallas police units responded, according to a report from The Dallas Morning News.
About 500 people work in the HHS building, which has eight floors. Employees received notifications by text, email and phone calls, the Morning News reported.
“We heard some commotion. People were a little bit scared, not knowing what was going on,” DCHHS spokesman Christian Grisales told KXAS.
“We were told by police officers to lock down, to shelter in place, because there apparently was an active shooter situation,” said Grisales, who was on the eighth floor.
On Nov. 8, two people died in a murder-suicide at the county medical examiner’s office next door to the health department. Authorities have said that James Frost shot and killed his estranged wife, Beth Frost, who worked at the medical examiner’s office, before turning the gun on himself.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 3:44 PM.