Three people were killed and eight others were injured in Fort Worth late Monday night when several men began shooting indiscriminately into crowds, police said.
The shooting occurred just before midnight in the Como neighborhood, southwest of downtown Fort Worth. One person died at the scene of the shooting and two died of their injuries in local hospitals. Eight others were treated for gunshot wounds at three different hospitals, police said.
Authorities said the shooting was unrelated to an annual July 3 community event that occurred earlier in the day at another location.
The Fort Worth Police Department’s homicide unit is investigating the shooting, Officer Daniel Segura, a spokesman, said in an email. No one has been arrested and police are asking people to call with any suggestions, he added.
« There were fireworks going off, a lot of people were just trying to flee the area from the multiple gunfire, so it was difficult for them to navigate the area quickly, » said Police Department Captain Shawn Murray of Fort Worth at a press conference shortly after the shooting.
He said it was too soon to tell whether the shooting was gang-related or a domestic dispute.
Mayor Mattie Parker of Fort Worth he said on Twitter that she was devastated by the shooting.
« It’s heartbreak and then you’re furious about it, » Mrs. Parker he told WFAA-TV.
« We still have a long way to go, and so does this country, » he added. “We are all reeling from gun violence.”
A few hours before the Fort Worth shooting, a shooter wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in Philadelphia, killing five men, ages 20 to 59, and wounding two others, ages 2 to 13. A suspect has been arrested by the police.
On Sunday, at least two people were killed and 28 others were injured in a shooting at a block party in the South Baltimore borough of Brooklyn.
The Fort Worth shooting came a year after seven people were killed and dozens were injured in a shooting during a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb 25 miles north of Chicago. Some Americans said they are nervous about attending large public events this year for the Fourth, such as parades and fireworks displays, given the number of mass shootings across the country in recent years.
President Biden has acknowledged the violence in a statement on Tuesday and urged other states to follow Illinois’ lead, which banned some high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines after the Highland Park shooting.
“Over the past few days, our nation has once again experienced a wave of tragic and senseless shootings in communities across America, from Philadelphia to Fort Worth, Baltimore to Lansing, Wichita to Chicago,” Biden said. « Today, Jill and I mourn for those who lost their lives, and as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day our communities will be free from gun violence. »
Amanda Holpuch AND Johnny Diaz contributed report.
