Two lawsuits accuse a Dallas apartment complex of ignoring security issues, leading to fatal and injurious shootings.
DALLAS — The parent company of an apartment complex in southeastern Dallas has been sued twice – lawsuits which have been obtained by WFAA – claiming the property owners “chose to ignore all the signs that this complex was dangerous and created an environment where criminals felt comfortable terrorizing the community.”
The first lawsuit was filed on behalf of 20-year-old Darius Young, who was killed while trying to sell his PlayStation in the Riverstation Apartments parking lot in October 2023. The lawsuit claims Young was ambushed by a group of men who shot him several times and robbed him of the PlayStation and the belong ings in his pockets.
WFAA reported the shooting when it happened, and no arrests had been made at the time.
The lawsuit said Dallas police later arrested 21-year-old Kevin Massengille in relation to the shooting. Dallas County Jail records show Massengille was booked on Jan. 12, 2024, on a murder charge.
The other lawsuit filed against Riverstation Apartments was filed on behalf of two young boys who were injured in a separate shooting at the complex. According to their lawsuit, a group of armed men “came into the complex through the opened gates and fired shots into the crowd of children playing outside.” One of the children was shot in the stomach and treated at a nearby hospital, while the other got shot in his leg multiple times and now walks with a permanent limp, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuits claim that the owner of the property, Dallas Leased Housing, purchased the apartments in September 2021 and, “despite the history of criminal activity that took place on the property before the sale, failed to employ any measures aimed at deterring crime.”
The lawsuits also said there were several reports of violent crimes committed on this property, including another homicide in 2020, in the three years leading up to Young’s death.
WFAA reached out to Dallas Leased Housing for comment Friday morning on the lawsuits and has not heard back.
