Video taking off 60x its usual first day

Deep Ellum business owners press for safety after deadly shootings

WFAA's follow-up hears from longtime restaurant owners, including John Jay Myers, who wants police officers spread throughout the district.

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WFAA Story of November 3, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 59,220 views a day, 60 times a normal first day on this channel (992).

Deep Ellum business owners react to deadly Halloween shootings

John Jay Myers appears behind a drum kit in WFAA's report, playing with his band before describing what the shootings mean for the neighborhood where he runs a restaurant and music venue.

"Imagine having three shootings in one night. Kind of affects people's desire to come out," he says.

The report shifts from the police briefing covered earlier to the businesses living with the aftermath. Four people were killed and at least fifteen others injured during the Halloween weekend violence in Dallas' Deep Ellum entertainment district, WFAA reports.

Myers, co-owner of The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge, worries that the shootings discourage visitors. Pete Zotos, whose St. Pete's Dancing Marlin has been in the neighborhood for decades, describes gunfire close to his establishment. Both push back against a reputation they say does not represent the community they have helped build.

WFAA's Short reached about 44,000 views in thirteen hours, an unusually fast start for the station's short-form reports.

The safety discussion goes beyond security at individual venues. The report describes ID scanning, cameras and police patrols; Myers argues that officers should disperse along the streets.

The Deep Ellum Foundation has scheduled community listening sessions for Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. at the Deep Ellum Community Center. In a separate follow-up, WFAA reports that federal officers will join Dallas police on neighborhood patrols under "Operation Deep Cover."

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