Neighbors say shooting in Lake Como area won’t ruin their Independence Day festivities
Lonnie Lambert was sitting on his porch in the Lake Como neighborhood, watching fireworks as stragglers headed home from the first-ever ComoFest on Saturday night.
He had been at the block party, a family-friendly event featuring live musical performances and local vendors that ended about 10 p.m., with his wife and grandchildren and was relaxing, having a drink and watching the colorful displays in the sky around his house.
Then, around 1:20 a.m., he heard gunshots.
With all the fireworks and firecrackers shooting off in the neighborhood, he didn’t recognize them as gunshots at first. The sound was different, he said, but it wasn’t until he saw people starting to run toward his property and heard the screams that he put two and two together.
The people were fleeing a shooting in the early hours of July 4 that injured eight people. Police said the shooting happened outside a car wash within sight of Lambert’s front porch and multiple guns were used. No arrests had been made by Sunday afternoon.
The gunshot victims were taken to local hospitals, and police said they were stable. According to MedStar, at least one of the victims was in critical condition.
Patrol officers were in the area of the 3400 block of Horne Street at about 1:30 a.m. when an officer heard gunshots.
Lambert said his first thought was about his grandchildren, who were inside the house, and protecting them.
“I knew I could get shot and be an innocent bystander and I didn’t want that, but I got up off my porch and started making sure people weren’t getting on my property,” Lambert said.
He kept an eye on things and did his best to keep people away because he didn’t want any shots to be fired in his direction and risk his grandchildren getting hurt.
But Lambert said the shooting hasn’t made him feel any less safe in the Como neighborhood. He’s planning to take his grandchildren and wife out for the Independence Day parade in Como on Monday.
This sort of thing doesn’t happen until most people are going home, he said. When the scheduled festivities are in full swing, families can be out in Como without fear.
Lambert was in his front yard getting charcoal ready around 11 a.m. July 4, watching as neighbors swept up debris in the streets from the block party. Some used leaf blowers to move cardboard left over from fireworks out of the road while other used brooms to sweep it into dustpans and dump what they collected into trashcans.
He said he was getting ready to grill some lunch for his family to celebrate Independence Day and felt totally safe. Those cleaning up from the festivities said they weren’t worried either.
Two Como residents aiding in the post-party cleanup said they aren’t out late enough to see anything like shootings or “drama.” They and Lambert said that if you’re not out late and if you head home when things like the block party are winding down, you won’t be in any danger.
Bobby Johnson echoed that statement.
Johnson, a resident of the area who attended the festival, said he didn’t see or hear the shooting in the early hours of July 4, but he hopes it won’t stop people from enjoying the rest of the holiday or stop them from going out for the parade Monday.
“It happens sometimes and it doesn’t matter where you are,” Johnson said. “Not everybody is going to be here for what we’re here for, but this didn’t happen until later. It was a fun time earlier in the night.”
He said families were out en masse to enjoy the party Saturday night and the shooting didn’t happen until most families were inside.
Johnson pointed to the recent shooting in the parking lot at Hurricane Harbor water park in Arlington, saying there will be people who want to cause problems anywhere you go.
“This sort of thing happens at like 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m., when people who were just out to have fun are in bed anyway,” Johnson said. “The only people out are those who want to cause problems.”
Many other residents shared thoughts with the Star-Telegram but said they didn’t want to be named. Some said the area was not safe for visitors and told the Star-Telegram it would be good to avoid the area, but most said they weren’t concerned after the shooting.
One churchgoer leaving a July 4 service said she didn’t worry about safety in the area during the day or during public events. She said she doesn’t believe the people who cause problems in the area live there.
“These things are usually folks from outside,” said the woman, who asked not to be named. “We had a good time out here on the third. This shouldn’t poison that.”
She said she doesn’t live in the neighborhood anymore but grew up there. Her parents still live in the area and she plans to return Monday for the parade.
Other churchgoers heading home after noon from churches near the location of the shooting said they hoped the shooting won’t overshadow the good of the block party or make the celebrations held there look bad. They said they want to make sure people see it for what it was: good, family-friendly fun for their historic neighborhood and a chance to celebrate America and independence.
This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 2:28 PM.