The lawsuit alleges that the complex’s owner and operator as well as its gas supplier, Atmos, failed to take appropriate steps to prevent such a disaster.
A fourth firefighter was injured in the blast but is not party to the lawsuit.
Residents were displaced for weeks following the explosion. Investigators would later determine that gas had been leaking overnight from a hose severed by a bullet fired into the building.Īfter finding the leak, the firefighters were unable to shut off the gas before a massive explosion ripped through the building, igniting a fire that destroyed the structure and seriously injured the firefighters. The firefighters were responding to a 911 call about a gas leak at one of the buildings in the Highland Hills Apartments in southern Dallas on Sept. He was still in jail on Tuesday when police filed new charges against him, in connection to the explosion.The injured firefighters who filed suit are Captain Christopher Gadomski, Engineer Ronald Hall, and Officer Pauline Perez.
EXPLOSION IN HIGHLAND HILLS CRACK
They also reportedly found drugs, including crack cocaine in his possession.ĭankins allegedly agreed to speak with police and recounted the same story as at least one other witness about the incident the day before the explosion. They reportedly found a Ruger handgun in Dankins' possession which was later matched to casings found at the site of the explosion. 2, days after the explosion, on a family violence warrant. Police arrested the convicted felon in Mesquite on Oct. 29, found several bullet casings on the ground near the building in question and picked one casing up and later turned it over to police. The documents also state that a neighbor walking to work early on Sept. NBC 5 was there was fire investigators pulled at least one stove from the debris, focusing heavily on the appliance and taking several photographs of it. Investigators spent days combing through the rubble of the building that was torn down following the explosion. Witnesses also told police, fire and Atmos officials about the shooting. On the day of the explosion, several residents told NBC 5 about a shooting the previous night. She was thrown 30 feet and suffered third-degree burns, according to the court documents. The following morning, Dallas firefighters were called to investigate the smell of natural gas and a possible leak.Īs maintenance crews and firefighters tried investigating the smell, the building exploded.ĭallas Fire-Rescue says ‘an unknown source’ ignited the highly concentrated gas fumes.įour firefighters were injured, including Pauline Perez who was inside the unit during the explosion. The warrant states Dankins returned several hours later and ‘shot several rounds into the neighbor’s front door and side windows’ and that ‘one of the bullets went through the hose behind the oven, causing a gas leak’ that grew overnight. “For that to come out and say that he was the reason for it, it’s very shocking.”Īccording to an arrest warrant affidavit, the incident stemmed from an argument between Dankins and his baby’s mother the day before the explosion.Ī neighbor allowed the woman and baby to enter his apartment unit, hoping to offer protection.ĭankins is accused of pulling a gun on the man and woman, though he later left. “I’ve seen him around the complex and it was just always 'hello, goodbye,' nothing major,” she said. Fort Worth Museum becomes first Texas site to dedicate ‘Stopping Stones'
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