1 dead, 1 critical in shooting outside True Worth Place homeless shelter in Fort Worth
One person died and one was in critical condition after they were shot Friday afternoon outside True Worth Place homeless shelter in Fort Worth.
Police were looking for two shooters involved in the incident, a department spokesman said in a press conference about 3:40 p.m.
Police said, according to the preliminary investigation, the first of the two shootings followed an argument around a car about 2 p.m. Investigators don’t know what the altercation was about.
During the argument, one man pulled a gun and shot the man he was arguing with, police spokesman Tracy Carter said.
A second gunman — who police said was in the area but whose connection or lack of connection to others involved is unknown — pulled a gun and fired at the first shooter, hitting a bystander in True Worth Plaza, in front of the daytime shelter.
Police could not specify which gunshot victim was dead and which was in critical condition. They do not know if the second shooter hit the first. Neither suspect was in custody.
True Worth Place, a daytime shelter and resource center for the homeless, is at 1513 E. Presidio St., about two miles southeast of Sundance Square near downtown Fort Worth.
Brenda Rios, vice president of development for Presbyterian Night Shelter, which operates True Worth Place, said the incident began with an altercation in the street, not on the shelter’s property. But one of the people who was shot was a client of the shelter who was not involved in the altercation, she said. That person was shot while in True Worth Plaza, which is on the shelter’s property.
Rios said officials don’t expect the shooting to impact operations at the day shelter. The night shelter across the street is also still open and will offer trauma counseling from social workers, she said.
Rios said nothing like this has happened in the area since the early 2000s.
The victims were initially treated at the scene by a critical care paramedic and two ambulance crews, MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky said in an email.
Police said the investigation by homicide detectives is ongoing. Anyone with information should call 817-392-4330 or 817-392-4222.
The name of the man killed will be released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office after next of kin has been notified.
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 2:28 PM.