Fort Worth joins other cities with multiple shootings ahead of Fourth of July holiday
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Deadly shooting in west Fort Worth
Three people were killed and eight wounded late Monday when gunfire erupted in a Como parking lot following ComoFest, the west Fort Worth neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July celebration.
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Fort Worth joined a grim list Monday after three people were killed and 16 injured in two shootings on opposite sides of the city.
It is one of 10 U.S. cities this month with shootings resulting in the injury or death of four or more people, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
In addition to the late night shooting in the Lake Como neighborhood that killed three and injured eight, a fight near the 2100 block of Christine Avenue injured four people from gunfire and another person from broken glass.
“This isn’t a unique problem,” said Fort Worth District 6 council member Jared Williams, who represents Lake Como.
“I think it’s important that we recognize that mass shootings can happen anywhere and do happen everywhere,” he said, pointing to the May 6 shooting at the Allen Outlet Mall and the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Williams pointed to the city of Fort Worth’s investment in the One Second Collaborative, a partnership addressing the youth gun violence crisis. Fort Worth and Tarrant County allocated a combined $7.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support nonprofits and community groups directly involved in combating youth gun violence.
“We have to be mindful not only to remember the tragedy of what happened last night, but recognize also that this isn’t an isolated event. That this is a systemic problem across our country,” Williams said.
Shootings have become an all too common occurrence across the United States, said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.
Parker praised the police response to the shooting in Como, while adding more can be done to form community partnerships to combat gun violence.
Law enforcement can’t do this by ourselves, said Fort Worth police chief Neil Noakes.
“We have to have elected officials step up and do what they need to do. We need community members to partner together with all of us to make sure we’re getting the job done the right way,” he said.
Keeping neighborhoods safe is an all hands on deck responsibility, Williams said.
Both he and Parker expressed a willingness to bring the police, community groups, and city departments together to keep Fort Worth residents safe.
This story was originally published July 4, 2023 at 2:57 PM.
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