Dickson & West Ave shooting: what do we actually know so far?

Six people hurt near Dickson and West early in the morning, and I've been trying to sort out what's actually confirmed versus what's just getting passed around. I'll be honest, the Facebook thread on this has been rough. Half of it is people guessing, the other half is people yelling at the guessers, and I came away knowing less than when I started.

What I think I can say: it happened, six people were hurt, and police are investigating. Past that I don't want to post anything I can't back up. I'm not going to speculate about who or why, and I'd ask that nobody does that here either. It doesn't help anyone and it can really hurt somebody who had nothing to do with it.

A few things I'm genuinely wondering:

1. Has anyone seen an official update from FPD? I'd rather follow their releases than a screenshot of a screenshot.
2. Somebody asked about cameras. I'd assume police are already pulling whatever exists on that stretch, city or private. But if you or someone you know has video from that night, send it to them directly and not into a comment section.
3. If you were down there, are you okay? Anybody need anything?

The other part, and I know it's an old argument: Dickson has had rough nights for as long as I've lived here. Something happens, everybody gets loud for a week or two, and then it fades until the next time. I'd like to talk about what could realistically be different, like lighting, foot patrols, how people get home when the crowds let out all at once. I'd like that without it turning into a pile-on on any one group or business. We don't know enough for that yet.

I live out in Johnson so I'm not down there every weekend like I used to be, but it's still our downtown. Please keep it civil in here. There are real people hurt, and their families may well be reading this board.

thanks for starting this one, david. i bailed on the facebook thread after about ten minutes, it was just people yelling past each other. i haven't seen anything from fpd beyond the basics you listed, so i'm just checking their page and waiting.

the getting home part is what sticks with me. i go to a lot of shows down there and when everything lets out at once it's chaos. everybody on the sidewalk at the same time looking for a ride or trying to remember where they parked, and the rideshare prices go through the roof. more lighting and people on foot would definately help, but i'd love a better plan for that crush too. not saying that's what happened here, we don't know. it just seems like a fixable thing compared to the rest.

and to anyone who was down there that night, i hope you're ok. check on your people.

Thanks for sticking around after the Facebook thing, Alyssa. I did the same, I just took longer to give up on it. 😅

The getting-home crush is the part I keep coming back to as well. Back when I was down there more often, the worst part of the night was never the music or the meal, it was the 20 minutes after everything let out. Everybody's on the sidewalk at once, phones out, nobody's sure where their ride is supposed to find them. I'm out in Johnson, so for me it was always a drive and a long walk back to wherever I'd found parking, and I wasn't thrilled about that walk after dark even in a good year.

You're right to flag that we don't know if any of that played into this, and I don't want to imply it did. But as a "what could be different" topic it's one of the few things that seems fixable. Clearly marked pickup spots, lighting along the walk back to the parking areas, and maybe more people on foot right when the crowds break up. None of that blames anybody, it just makes the street easier to get off of.

I'm still only going by FPD's page too. If I see anything official I'll post it here so it's not buried in a comment section.

yeah, please do post it here if you see anything official. i'd rather read it from you than dig back through that other thread.

the pickup spots idea is the easiest win i can think of. the last few shows i've been to i just walk a few blocks off dickson before i even try to call a ride, because the app pins get all weird when everyone's bunched up on the same corner. a marked spot with decent light, and maybe somebody standing around to keep an eye on things, would take a lot of the crush out. it won't fix everything, but it's something.

and agreed on the video. if anyone has it, send it straight to fpd.

still thinking about everyone who was down there that night.