The Free Man to Host Benefit for Bystander Shooting Victim Last Weekend

Shots were fired last Sunday evening during an argument outside of Deep Ellum's The Free Man, a bar, restaurant and jazz venue.  A bullet went through a glass garage door and struck Cameron Cooper, causing serious internal injuries.

Cooper, a Fort Worth native, is an aspiring local musician known as Chief Rebel. He was working security at the venue Sunday evening and was not involved in the altercation outside.

"Two people outside of our security ropes had some sort of disagreement and gunplay was involved. One of our door personnel was struck by a stray bullet that entered through our front garage door windows," general manager Gino Iglehart says.

Cooper is in ICU with internal injuries and, according to his GoFundMe page, has a long journey ahead to recovery.

The Dallas police department said as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday no arrests have been made in the case.

John Jay Myers, local musician and owner of The Free Man, says that Cooper has completed his second surgery and is now resting.

"Obviously we are sickened by what appears to be needless shooting," Myers wrote in an email. "The key takeaway is this altercation started over a block away (not viewable from our cameras) and only coincidentally ended up in front of our building. Cam wasn't trying to de-escalate this; he wasn't even involved. He was just standing inside a building where two people were shooting wildly at each other outside the building."

Since the incident, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued a summary suspension of The Free Man's liquor license for one week. The spokesperson for the TABC, Chris Porter, told the Observer the suspension was done at the request of the Dallas Police Department to allow local investigators to study the scene without fear of retaliation. Porter said the suspension expires at midnight on Feb. 20.

"Now because of that, they shut us down for a week, during Mardi Gras week. The time of year where we make up for a terrible winter, and try to get back on our feet," Myers says, adding that he employs more than 40 people and supporting the staff on food sales alone is "limited at best." 

The Free Man will open as a restaurant for take-out only from Thursday, Feb. 16, through Monday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the venue will host a benefit show for Chief Rebel from 7 to 10 p.m., with dinner only and non-alcoholic drinks.

Then on Fat Tuesday — one of the biggest days of the year for this Cajun spot — The Free Man will fully reopen with live music all day (11 a.m. to 2 a.m.) along with Cajun dishes and drink specials. The Free Loaders, Smokin' Aces Brass Band and Marcus Parks are all on the bill.

The annual Fat Tuesday Second Line march through Deep Ellum begins at The Free Man at 5:30 p.m. and will be led by a big brass band.

The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St. (Deep Ellum). Daily, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.