Woman killed in Fort Worth drive-by shooting died in front of her children, sister says
Carmen Joann Enriquez, 33, was starting to figure out her life before she was killed in a drive-by shooting on Monday night, her sister said.
Enriquez, a Fort Worth native and mother of six, had spent long stretches of time without a permanent residence due to a drug habit, bouncing between friends and relatives’ homes, Isabel Guerrero told the Star-Telegram on Thursday. But, for several months, she was staying with her boyfriend and leading a stable life of purpose. She was trying every day to reconnect with her two oldest sons, ages 16 and 18, who grew up with her grandmother.
She was a fun and happy person, Guerrero recalled, able to make anyone laugh no matter the situation. “She just had that personality to where you could be so down and she’d find any way just to lift you up,” she said.
Enriquez was with her two sons in front of their friend’s home on West Mason Street in Fort Worth on Monday night to stop in for a visit, according to Guerrero, who has spoken with the boys. As Enriquez sat in her oldest son’s car, the brothers both outside, two vehicles approached, Guerrero said. One person fired six or seven rounds toward them.
Police said on Monday that Enriquez was shot in the head after a dark-colored SUV drove by her as she sat in the parked car. The caller reported her son’s friend’s mother had been shot, according to a police call log.
No update on the shooting investigation was available on Thursday, the department said in an email.
“It’s horrible, just knowing that you’ll never see your sister again,” Guerrero said over the phone, beginning to cry. “You’ll never hear her voice. You’ll never get to laugh with her. You’ll never get to do anything that you did before. It’s a horrible feeling that I wish on nobody.”
Their grandmother who raised them as her own is now raising Enriquez’s four other young children in La Marque. The whole family, and all those who called Enriquez a friend, have been in a state of shock this past week, Guerrero said. “It just doesn’t feel real yet.”
Her two oldest sons who live in Fort Worth were both close enough to run to her, and “she died right there in front of them,” Guerrero said.
The 18-year-old hasn’t been able to eat or sleep over the past few days, she said. He has been blaming himself.
“He was right there trying to bring his mom back to life,” she said.
Friends and family have come together in the aftermath of the unexpected tragedy to comfort each other, as well as honor the life lost. At 8:30 p.m. on Friday, family members and friends plan to gather in Rosemont Park on West Seminary Drive to release balloons soaring into the sky.
Some people might get there as early as 4:30 p.m. to make food and remember Enriquez.
Tributes have poured in for her on her Facebook page and a cousin started a GoFundMe page in her honor that raised more than $2,700 as of Thursday afternoon. Funds will go toward funeral expenses, which Guerrero said would be otherwise covered by their grandmother.
She and older sister have been close, ever since they were kids, she said. They went to Rosemont Middle School and then R.L. Paschal High School together, and they also looked forward to going to the carnival when it came into town.
After going through some tough times, Enriquez was “changing her life around” and “doing so good,” Guerrero said.
She wants people to remember her sister as she will, for the joy she brought into the world.
“She was a wonderful, beautiful person,” Guerrero said. “She was very loved.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
