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Victory Park Lockdown Lifted As Armed Suspect Is Taken Into Custody And Evaluated

Update, 3:51 p.m.: During a press conference, Dallas police didn't release many details about the suspect who barricaded himself in a Victory Park apartment, but they say no criminal charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon. They say the man was under distress, but "can't definitively say" what led to his actions earlier today. He is being evaluated.

The suspect used a handgun, but it hadn't been recovered as of the press conference. He shot out a window, which could have been dangerous to people below. Investigators were still in the apartment Tuesday afternoon.

Update, 2:15 p.m.: A man is in custody after shots were fired inside a Victory Park apartment complex that triggered the closure of busy downtown Dallas streets and the lockdown of nearby schools and businesses.

Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell says there are no injuries resulting from the incident that began about 10 a.m.  Tuesday with reports of an "active shooter."

The suspect was barricaded inside the complex. Police used so-called flash bangs to distract the suspect. Smoke filled the apartment.

Some nearby well-known Dallas attractions were locked down as a precaution, including the Perot  Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium. By 1 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted and children left the Perot for their school buses.
 
Police cars blocked off roads in the Victory Park area near the W Hotel and close to the American Airlines Center.
 
Further details on the suspect weren't immediately released.

Update, 12:54 p.m: Dallas SWAT has taken the suspect into custody. “The situation is over,” police say. The lockdown has been lifted. There don’t appear to be any injuries.  Police used flash bangs to distract the suspect. Police also used tear gas canisters and smoke grenades, and the suspect opened the balcony door to clear the gas, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Update, 12:43 p.m.: Smoke is billowing out of an apartment in the complex where the suspect is barricaded. Gas is being deployed in an apartment, police say.

Update, 12:27 p.m.: KERA's Stella M. Chavez is at the scene, where she just attended a press conference. Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell didn’t have many new details. Patrol officers arrived around 10 a.m. Tuesday to the apartment complex in the 2300 block of North Houston Street. They discovered an individual was inside the apartment and had fired some shots. They called the Dallas SWAT team. The situation is contained but still ongoing, Mitchell told reporters.

Update, 12:15 p.m.: The AT&T Performing Arts Center is among the buildings locked down due to the armed suspect who is barricaded.

Update, 12:06 p.m.: Dallas SWAT just deployed a flash bang into the apartment of the shooter, a Dallas police spokeswoman said on Twitter. A flash bang is a "distraction device that produces a loud noise and brilliant flash of light designed to distract and disorient a suspect," a Dallas police spokesman said on Twitter.

Update, 11:49 a.m.: Some streets in and near Victory Park have been closed as police investigate reports of gunfire and a barricaded person.

Sr. Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez with the Dallas Police Department told The Associated Press that nobody has been hurt as police initially responded to an "active shooter" call from an apartment complex around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Gutierrez had no immediate information whether any shots were fired. Nobody has been arrested.

Police later characterized the incident as involving a barricaded individual. Further details on the person weren't immediately released. WFAA-TV is reporting a man in his mid-40s is barricaded inside the fifth floor of an apartment complex. KXAS-TV is reporting an apartment manager called police after he tried to evict a person from an apartment. The resident didn't want to leave and fired shots.

Some nearby well-known Dallas attractions were locked down, as a precaution - including the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium.

Police cars blocked off roads in the Victory Park area near the W Hotel and close to the American Airlines Center sports venue.

Update, 11:43 a.m.:  WFAA is reporting a man in his mid-40s is barricaded inside the fifth floor of an apartment complex.

Update, 11:26 a.m.: Dallas police say several streets have been closed, including Olive, Museum Way, Highmark and Victory Park. SWAT is on the scene and dealing with a barricaded person.

Original post: Dallas police are looking for what they have described as an "active shooter" who was reported in the Victory Park area this morning. According to the department's Twitter feed, police are working on a call in the 23oo block of Houston Street.

WFAA is reporting that residents at the Vista Apartments complex were warned to stay inside. Several businesses in the area, including the Perot Museum, Dallas Aquarium, Lunar Prep Academy, Booker T. Washington High School and W Hotel have been locked down.

We'll update this post as we get more information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Stella M. Chávez is KERA’s immigration/demographics reporter/blogger. Her journalism roots run deep: She spent a decade and a half in newspapers – including seven years at The Dallas Morning News, where she covered education and won the Livingston Award for National Reporting, which is given annually to the best journalists across the country under age 35.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.