2 men dead, 3 injured in Fort Worth shootings on Thanksgiving, police say
Two separate shootings in Fort Worth on Thanksgiving night and another shooting in the morning left two men dead and three injured, according to police.
Officers were called about 9:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28, to an apartment complex in the 2800 block of Broadmoor Drive, in west Fort Worth. A 911 caller reported two male victims being shot outside the apartments.
When officers arrived at the apartments, they found three men who had been shot, police said in a news release. One of them was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other two were taken to a hospital. One man died at the hospital, and one remained in critical condition.
Homicide detectives learned that one victim was in a vehicle with an unknown person when two suspects approached his car. All three men exchanged gunfire and were shot, police said. The unknown person left the shooting scene on foot and has not been found.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the men who died as 18-year-old Javon Xavier Gayton, of Arlington, and 23-year-old J Tavian Lee Howard, of Fort Worth. Gayton died at the scene, and Howard died at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital.
About an hour earlier, a 59-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot at a house in east Fort Worth.
Officers were called about 8:35 p.m. Thursday to a home in the 7000 block of Sylvan Meadows Drive, where they found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds, a police spokesperson said.
The victim was unable to provide any information about the shooting while receiving medical treatment at the scene, police said. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Investigators believe that the victim and suspect know each other, and that an argument or fight between the two men led to gunfire.
The suspect left the scene on Sylvan Meadows Drive before police arrived, but he was detained by officers nearby, police said.
The suspect was in custody Thursday night. Jail records identified him as 42-year-old Curtis McClarin. He faces charges of evading arrest and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
The Gun Violence Unit is handling the investigation.
Another shooting early on Thanksgiving morning also hospitalized a man who had life-threatening injuries, police said.
Officers found the 23-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to the head inside a car after they responded to a report of a crash about 12:15 a.m. in the 2800 block of Miller Avenue.
No arrests have been announced in that case. Detectives are investigating to determine where the gunshot came from.
So far this year, Fort Worth police have investigated 67 homicides, which is down from 78 at this time last year, according to the department’s records.
This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 11:43 PM.
