It was this past Wednesday around 11 p.m. that photographer Ron Shipp parked in his usual spot just past the South Houston Street Viaduct to snap shots of the Dallas skyline.
“Normally, I walk out onto the levee and set my camera up to take pictures of downtown,” Shipp said. “This is a well-traveled area. You can see a lot of photographers use it. I have been out here countless dozens of times, day and night and never once really felt unsafe.”
Shipp walked along the sidewalk onto the bridge. However, this time he skipped the entrance to the levee after he said he heard muffled voices.
“I thought it was safer just to stay on the bridge and keep walking out,” Shipp said. “So at least I can see the assailants come from behind me, if that's what was going to happen.”
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Shipp said the voices would come and go. He eventually spotted a group of at least four men hiding in the shadows of the outer banks of the bridge.
“Every time I walked out, they keep coming closer and closer. They weren't on the bridge. I knew that much,” Shipp said. “I looked over the bridge again and saw two men maybe 20 yards away, and I realized they were using the outside ledge, the handrails, to approach me from the outside.”
Shipp said he was fearful the group would jump over the railing.
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“At that point, I knew this was real, and I was in danger. I kept walking away. Not quite a run yet, but brusquely, walking away, hoping to get more distance,” Shipp said.
However, the group of men, Shipp said, continued to move towards him. He began to run.
“I saw flashes from a handgun and heard six shots right in my direction motivated me to run much faster. I got to be honest with you,” Shipp said. “And I just kept running to the relative safety of downtown.”
Shipp was never shot but reported it to police. Now, he’s going public with his story to warn those who frequent the area, especially at night.
“An empty bridge does not mean you're safe,” Shipp said. “People would never see the attack coming.”
Although shaken, Shipp said he will come back to snap pictures at this location.
“A lot of photographers have already approached me that they come here frequently. They won't be doing that alone or even in small groups, just in large groups. I want people… that use this space… it's dangerous, and they could get attacked out of the darkness in no time.”
