Three people were killed and eight others injured in Fort Worth Monday night when several men began shooting indiscriminately into the crowd, police said.
The shooting occurred just before midnight in the Como neighborhood, southwest of downtown Fort Worth. One person died at the scene of the shooting, and two others succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital. Eight others were being treated for gunshot wounds at three different hospitals, police said.
Authorities said the shooting was not related to the annual July 3 community event that took place the previous day at another location.
The Fort Worth Police Department homicide unit is investigating the shooting, Officer Daniel Segura, a spokesman, said by email. No one has been arrested yet, and police are asking people to call with any tips, he added.
“Fireworks were fired, a lot of people were trying to flee the area from some of the gunfire, so it was difficult for them to move quickly to the area,” Capt. Shawn Murray of the Fort Worth Police Department said at a news conference. shortly after the shooting.
He said it was too early to say whether the shooting was gang-related or related to a domestic dispute.
Mayor Mattie Parker of Fort Worth said on Twitter that he was devastated by the shooting.
“It's heartbreak and then you get mad about it,” Ms. Parker to WFAA-TV.
“We still have a long way to go, and so does this country,” he added. “We are all shaken by gun violence.”
Just hours before the Fort Worth shooting, a shooter wearing a flak vest opened fire in Philadelphia, killing five men aged between 20 and 59 and wounding two others, aged 2 and 13. One suspect was detained by police.
On Sunday, at least two people were killed and 28 injured in a shooting at a block party in the Brooklyn neighborhood south of Baltimore.
The Fort Worth shooting comes a year after seven people were killed and dozens injured in a shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb 25 miles north of Chicago. Some Americans say they are nervous about attending major public events this year for the Fourth, such as parades and fireworks displays, given the number of mass shootings across the country in recent years.
President Biden acknowledged violence in statement on Tuesday and urged other states to follow the example of Illinois, which banned certain high-powered weapons and high-capacity magazines after the Highland Park shooting.
“Over the last few days, our nation has experienced yet another wave of tragic and senseless shootings in communities across America — from Philadelphia to Fort Worth, Baltimore to Lansing, Wichita to Chicago,” Biden said. “Today, Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives and, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our community will be gun violence free.”
Amanda Holpuch And Johnny Diaz reporting contribution.