‘Unacceptable:’ Deadly shooting on Fort Worth ISD campus leaves parents stunned, angry
The shooting death of a Fort Worth ISD elementary school worker on campus Wednesday morning left parents and students shocked and fearful for their safety. It also left some parents outraged over how the school district and police have handled the tragedy.
Forest Hill police did not release any public statements about the shooting until about 5:30 p.m. In a news release Wednesday evening, police confirmed they responded to a shooting call at David K. Sellars Elementary School, at 4200 Dorsey St., around 6:50 a.m. They found a woman in a back parking lot who had been shot multiple times. She was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where she was pronounced dead.
Family members identified the victim as 56-year-old Yolanda Gibbs, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Gibbs worked in the cafeteria at David K. Sellars Elementary for 30 years, WFAA reported. Her daughter Christina Ware said her mother had planned to retire this year but changed her mind.
“She made sure everybody felt secure, loved,” Ware told WFAA.
The investigation has determined the victim was speaking to a person who was in a car in the parking lot, police said in the release. Investigators believe the victim knew the shooter, who fled the scene in a silver Chevy Impala.
Police said they found the car abandoned in Fort Worth and were working to identify the suspect and obtain an arrest warrant.
Soon after the killing, parents received a vague notice that classes were canceled, followed by another saying school would indeed open. When word spread about what had happened, some parents were angry. One father called it “unacceptable” to “bring our kids to an open crime scene.”
Police said that school district administrators were briefed on the investigation and decided to keep the school open because investigators believed the suspect was no longer in the area.
Forest Hill Mayor Stephanie Boardingham said at a news conference about 3 p.m. Wednesday that police had not communicated any details to her. Detectives had been in contact with the city manager, Venus Wehle, but Wehle said she also had not been given any information by police other than that an investigation was ongoing.
Boardingham said she could not assure the public that there was not an ongoing threat, and she didn’t know if police had identified a suspect.
When asked if she could share any details, Boardingham told reporters she didn’t even know if the incident was a shooting. She said that police were not communicating with her or any other city leadership.
Reading from a prepared statement, Boardingham said the incident is a stark reminder of the importance of community. She called it a “deeply distressing incident” and a “senseless act of violence” and said that her thoughts and prayers are with the victim, her family, the school district and the community.
When asked if she had any concerns about a lack of transparency from police leadership in Forest Hill, Boardingham said only that the investigation was ongoing.
Police from agencies across North Texas are typically quick to release information on violent incidents that draw public attention, even as investigations are in their earliest phases. That information typically includes any preliminary details about what happened, whether authorities have made any arrests or identified any suspects and whether there is an ongoing threat to the public. No such information had been released in Forest Hill as of 5 p.m.
In a statement to the Star-Telegram, Fort Worth ISD confirmed the woman who died was a staff member at David K. Sellars Elementary. The “tragic incident” took place in a back parking lot, the district said, adding that there was no ongoing threat to the school. The district referred all questions regarding details of the incident to the Forest Hill Police Department.
“The staff member was dedicated to serving their campus and had a profound impact on students and the staff,” district officials said in the statement. “... Emergency personnel responded swiftly, and we have worked closely with our safety and security team in collaboration with the Forest Hill Police Department to ensure the safety of our campus.”
The shooting occurred before classes were scheduled to begin at 7:50 a.m., according to the school’s website.
Greg Joseph, a Sellars Elementary parent, told the Star-Telegram the school district was negligent in its communication with parents and the decision to hold classes on campus.
Teachers on Wednesday morning sent a message to parents through the district’s student-parent portal, Class Dojo, announcing that classes had been canceled, though initially parents didn’t know why.
In later communication, though, Joseph said parents were told that decision to cancel classes had been reversed by leadership above the campus level. He believes that was irresponsible on the district’s part.
“We entrust our kids to you guys and you say to bring our kids to an open crime scene?” Joseph said. “That’s not right. That’s unacceptable.”
District spokesperson Jessica Becerra told the Star-Telegram that she wasn’t aware that teachers had told parents classes would be canceled.
Joseph applauded the school’s leadership for attempting to cancel classes, but said he doesn’t believe district leadership was informed enough to responsibly reverse that call.
Before they knew that a shooting happened on campus, Joseph said, his mother had tried to drop his child off for school. When she arrived, she was turned away at the start of the school zone.
After the message that classes were back on, he tried to take his child to school. With the number of police and district security around campus, he decided it would be best to keep his child home for the day.
Keisha Braziel has a son in the fourth grade at Sellars and said she knew the woman who was killed.
Braziel described her as a big personality and a no-nonsense woman who was always happy and energetic. She said the employee had been at the school as a cafeteria worker for over 20 years and was getting ready to retire.
“She will leave a void because she was such a personality,” Braziel said.
Braziel decided Wednesday morning that it was safe to take her son, a 9-year-old, to school despite what happened. She felt that communication from the school district could have been faster, but said she didn’t have any issues with it.
The lack of communication from police, though, was concerning, Braziel said.
“I think it adds to the fear and the uncertainty,” Braziel said.
When she arrived about a block away from campus, Braziel said she couldn’t get any closer because police had blocked off roads. When she got out of the car to ask someone if they could walk the rest of the way, her son grabbed her and said not to go. He was scared she would be shot.
Norma, the aunt of a student who asked to be identified only by her first name, told the Star-Telegram that she watched paramedics perform chest compressions on the woman while wheeling her into an ambulance.
School staff were diverting parents and students away from the parking lot and toward other entrances, Norma said. Later in the morning, school leaders sent out messages letting parents know that they could keep their kids at home for the day.
Norma said her niece stayed home.
“She did not want to be at school, and I don’t blame her,” she said.
Norma grew up in Forest Hill and attended David K. Sellars. She’s worried about students who were traumatized, and said adults in the community need to find ways to show support and love for the school in the months ahead.
“I’m very much in shock and I cannot believe that somebody came to violate our school property in such a horrific way,” she said.
Students who were on campus were initially held in the auditorium. The school was fully open by the afternoon, according to a message sent to parents.
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Eva Torres, a grandmother and aunt to two students, told the Star-Telegram that the shooting makes her concerned for campus safety even though it happened before school started.
Torres said students start arriving to campus well before classes start so they can eat breakfast. By the time the doors open at 7:20 a.m. to let those students inside, there’s usually already a line.
Torres said the school district never actually told families that an employee was shot on campus.
“They told us a teacher had passed away,” Torres said. “They just said there was an incident.”
She shared the email with the Star-Telegram: “Our hearts are heavy, as we learned of an incident that took place in the back parking lot of the campus this morning that led to a staff member passing away,” it said. “This staff member was a valued team member who proudly served the campus and cared deeply for our students.”
The email also said, “We extend our love and sympathy to their family during this time. This is an emotional time for us all, and experiencing a loss is always difficult to understand for students and staff.”
Counseling services will be available at the school to assist those who have been impacted, the district said.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact Forest Hill police at 817-531-5250 and press option 5, or contact Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS or 469tips.com and reference report number 23FPD13544.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 1:18 PM.
