Stop Six leaders devastated by shooting, say community must do better
Community leaders pledged to bring more safety and organization to the annual Stop Six Day following a shooting Saturday night that left four injured.
One of the organizers, Anthony “ThirdGate Tamuno” Washington, said the east Fort Worth event started at Stop Six Park in the late 1990s for Blood gang members and transformed to a family-focused gathering by the 2000s, with contests, giveaways, food and music. The park, at 5200 E. Rosedale St., is also known as Rosedale Plaza Park.
Washington, who has attended the event since he was a kid, said he never previously witnessed a shootout or altercation. He did not have a permit but still worked with the police for the community’s safety. Fort Worth police confirmed they worked the event. Washington said he said saw officers arrest people who had illegal firearms.
Washington said Saturday’s shooting shocked him. He pledged to do better and not let it happen again by getting a permit and working with police for more protection.
The shooting happened around 9 p.m. near the conclusion of the event, when a gunman wearing all black came from the direction of the Apex Apartments, 5320 E. Rosedale St., and fired into a crowd adjacent to the park, outside a business strip between the park and the apartment complex.
Two women, a child, and a police officer were injured. The officer was hit in the neck by shrapnel when a bullet went through the windshield of the patrol car he was sitting inside. The shooting is under investigation, police said. One woman was hospitalized in critical condition, while the other victims’ injuries were not life-threatening, according to police.
No suspect in the shooting had been arrested as of Monday. Surveillance video from outside the strip mall shows people running as rapid gunfire is heard.
“We never had this problem ... just one dude slip through the crack,” Washington said.
Pastor Michael Moore, president of the Historic Stop Six Neighborhood Association, said the news left him devastated. He thinks the organizers must work with the police, do their due diligence in knowing who is coming, and have an organization that’s responsible for the event instead of it being an informal gathering.
Moore said the event has to move on from being gang-oriented to a family friendly event.
“Nobody should go to the park and have to be worried about being shot,” Moore said.
Jonathan Morrison, president of the Historic Rosedale Park Neighborhood Association, said he was not surprised by the shooting. He said police failed to monitor trouble spots.
Morrison grew up in Stop Six and wants to have an event built on health and economic development. He wants it to become culturally relevant event like Phoenix Festival in the Historic Southside or ComoFest in Lake Como.
He plans to work with organizers like Washington and other neighborhood associations in Stop Six to make the event more family-friendly. That would mean monitoring traffic, having a protective barrier for residents, and working with the community to make Stop Six Day safer.
“People need to understand that it’s not just some savages over here,” Morrison said. “It’s people who have homes or raising family and love their families — we’re just trying to enjoy life.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 5:27 PM.
