DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Police are investigating what events led security guards at Dallas’ XTC Cabaret to shoot and kill a woman on Saturday morning. The club claims the guards felt endangered, but their version of events was disputed by users on social media.
According to Dallas police, officers responded to a shooting call from XTC Cabaret, located at 8550 N. Stemmons Freeway. When they arrived, they found the victim, Shalonda Lofton, 32, identified by Dallas police as Shalanda Anderson, with a gunshot wound.
Lofton was taken to the hospital by Dallas Fire-Rescue, but she was later pronounced deceased.
Police said that their preliminary investigation indicated that Lofton had been shot by a 26-year-old female security guard. A 30-year-old male security guard allegedly also fired his weapon at Lofton’s vehicle.
The Dallas County District’s Attorney Public Integrity will conduct an independent investigation, but police said a grand jury referral will be sent to the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.
In a statement, XTC Cabaret claimed that a driver ran over the female security guard – who was employed through a third-party – while she drove the wrong direction through the club’s parking lot.
XTC said the security guard was hit by the driver’s car, pinning her between the vehicle and a van. Allegedly, “her leg was crushed and her foot run over” and “reportedly fearing for her life, the security guard shot the driver as the guard was being hit and before the driver could seriously injure or kill others.” The cabaret’s statement did not address whether another guard fired their weapon.
On social media, users identifying themselves as Lofton’s friends disputed XTC’s timeline of events and turned out on Saturday night to protest her death. Another protest was scheduled for the evening of June 26.
The Dallas Police Department is asking for anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact SIU Detective Cayce Shelton at 214-671-4707 or by email.
Security footage below provided by XTC shows the moments just before Loftin was shot:
XTC’s full statement:
We are very sad that this unfortunate incident occurred and at the loss of life. We want the public to understand the situation and circumstances of what happened during the early morning hours of June 25, 2022.
A female third-party security guard was run over by a woman who drove her vehicle into a group of security guards while they were motioning to the driver that she was going the wrong way through the club’s parking lot. The security guard was hit by the driver’s car and pinned between that car and a van. Her leg was crushed and her foot run over. Reportedly fearing for her life, the security guard shot the driver as the guard was being hit and before the driver could seriously injure or kill others.
We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families involved. Club management has reached out to the family of the individual who died and offered to pay for her funeral. The injured security guard has multiple broken bones and is going through surgery today. The safety of our customers remains of utmost importance to us. We are in contact with the Dallas Police Department and continue to support their investigation.