Teen died in what neighbors called a July 4 ‘firecracker war’ in south Fort Worth
The residue from what neighbors called a firecracker war lay strewn all over the ground on Friday.
Red streamers, the burnt carcasses of exploded firecrackers and empty cardboard tubes littered an apartment complex playground and the green spaces that surrounded it.
One teen died in that war, the people who live in the area said.
Maneno Juma, 19, died about 10 p.m. Thursday from blunt-force injury to the chest caused by a fireworks explosion, according to officials with the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. Fireworks exploded in the teen’s hands, according to Fire Department officials. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. His death has been ruled accidental.
According to a statement from officials with the Fort Worth Fire Department, it was a night when firefighters responded to more than 450 emergency calls, which included Juma’s death, four significant trauma events, five structure fires, 37 outdoor grass or trash fires, and 26 assaults, some of which involved either stab or gunshot wounds.
Firefighters received nearly 2,000 complaints about illegal fireworks in the city overnight, the statement said.
“We have a firecracker war here every year,” said Warrick Ewings, 16, a teen who said he knew Juma. “It’s been going on since I was in elementary school.”
Ewings said at least 40 to 50 people, mostly teens, participated in the war, which was centered in the 4800 block of Vigil Street in east Fort Worth, where Juma was injured.
First responders were already in the area when the call to help Juma went out because someone had thrown a firecracker into someone else’s apartment, Ewings said.
Firefighters had responded to several calls in the immediate area around the 4800 block of Virgil Street during the time Juma was injured, said Michael Drivdahl, Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman. Drivdahl and police said they were not aware of any teens throwing or shooting fireworks at each other.
Police said officers were headed to another call in the area when they were flagged down to assist with the accident that involved Juma.
“People were shooting fireworks at each other, but it was dark so you couldn’t tell who was out there and you couldn’t tell how many people were out there,” said Ramona Macias, 19. “You just saw a lot of people running. But you could see them shooting fireworks at each other.”
Maria Rosales, said she has lived at the Webber Garden Apartment complex near where Juma was injured for about four years. Morales said she called authorities because of the fireworks.
Most of the people that she saw setting off the fireworks were 15 to 16 years old, but some could have been older, perhaps 19, Rosales said. The teens were in the parking lot and “all over the place,” Rosales said.
Teens were still out setting off fireworks until early Friday when she fell asleep, Rosales said.
“Parents should watch their kids because that’s what happens when you play with fireworks,” Rosales said. “You can never be safe with fireworks.”
This story was originally published July 5, 2019 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Teen died in what neighbors called a July 4 ‘firecracker war’ in south Fort Worth."
