Video shows officers confronting a gunman after four people were shot near Commerce Street.
DALLAS — Dallas police on Wednesday released body-camera video of a deadly encounter outside a downtown nightclub that began around 2 a.m. Monday on Commerce Street. The footage shows officers shouting commands as a man with a handgun moves toward them moments after shots were fired into a car and into a crowd.
The release comes as investigators piece together what led to the sudden burst of gunfire near the Hyde & Seek Lounge that left two men dead and three other people wounded. Police identified the gunman as 31-year-old Kedric McDonald and the man first targeted in a vehicle as 27-year-old Zemeid Cox. Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said two on-duty officers opened fire after McDonald pointed a gun at them. Detectives are interviewing witnesses, collecting videos and shell casings, and preparing material for a standard outside review by prosecutors.
Around 2 a.m. Monday, officers already stationed near the 2000 block of Commerce Street responded to a disturbance linked to the club. The body-camera clips begin with alarms blaring and people running. A voice yells, “Drop the gun!” as officers move behind cars for cover. In the seconds before the police gunfire, investigators say McDonald shot multiple rounds into a vehicle where Cox sat, then fired again, striking three bystanders with non-life-threatening injuries. After commands to disarm, two officers fired, hitting McDonald. “The officers did a phenomenal job identifying where the shots were coming from and containing the gunman,” Comeaux said. Medics arrived within minutes as officers started first aid on the wounded and worked to clear the parking lot.
Police reported that Cox and McDonald died at the scene. The three other shooting victims were taken to area hospitals and were listed with injuries not considered life-threatening. Officials did not immediately provide a motive or say what sparked the earlier disturbance inside the club that spilled into the parking area. Detectives recovered multiple shell casings and at least one handgun near where McDonald fell, according to the department’s initial summary. No officers were hurt. The department did not release the names of the two officers who fired, citing ongoing interviews required under use-of-force protocols. The scene stretched across a tight cluster of businesses and lots near the club entrance and an alley off Commerce Street.
The block draws heavy weekend crowds, and patrol staffing was increased before closing time because of prior calls for service, Comeaux said. Dallas police logged six officer-involved shootings earlier this year; Monday’s incident marked the seventh. The department said its Special Investigations Unit is leading the criminal inquiry into the gunfire by McDonald and the officers’ response. The Office of Community Police Oversight is monitoring the case. In prior Dallas shootings downtown, police have emphasized quick scene control to separate victims and potential suspects in crowded nightlife corridors, a challenge that body-camera audio captures in the form of overlapping shouts, car alarms and radio traffic.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent review of the police use of force after detectives complete case files. That review is routine for Dallas and will examine body-camera recordings, surveillance video from surrounding businesses, 911 audio, ballistics and witness statements. If additional charges are warranted stemming from the initial assaults, detectives will present those as well. Officials said they plan to release the officers’ names after required interviews and after confirming there are no credible threats, in keeping with department policy. No court dates are set; the district attorney’s review begins once the police investigation is submitted. The department said it would update its public report if the wounded victims’ conditions change or if a motive becomes clear.
By Wednesday evening, the club’s lot was quiet, with broken glass swept from the curb and a few candles set near a light pole where people gathered Monday after sunrise. A woman who works nearby said she heard “two groups yelling and then a lot of shots,” before officers rushed in. “It was chaos, and then it went silent,” she said, declining to give her name. Another passerby, who gave his name only as Marcus, said he saw officers guide paramedics to the injured. “They were shouting for people to move back, pointing the ambulance to a man on the ground,” he said.
As of late Wednesday, police had not released a motive or said whether McDonald knew the three bystanders who were wounded. The Dallas County District Attorney’s review will begin after detectives finish interviews and lab work, with the next public update expected after case materials are forwarded to prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated November 27, 2025.