‘It was a senseless act. It was a cowardly act’

Fort Worth police are still searching for a suspect and motive in a Saturday night shooting near Stop Six Park that injured four people including a young child and a pregnant woman.

Neighbors in the Fort Worth neighborhood are also searching for long-term solutions.

“Right now, Stop Six has a stigma and that park is part of the stigma,” said Teena James with Safe in the Six, a nonprofit dedicated to mentorship programs, educational workshops and empowering events for Fort Worth youth.

Late Saturday night, a crowd gathered under the covered porch of a small strip mall next to Stop Six Park on East Rosedale. Surveillance video from one of the stores shows the crowd scattering as rapid gunfire can be heard coming from the direction of an apartment complex to the east of the park and the stores.

Officials say a young child was grazed by a bullet, a police officer was injured by shrapnel when a bullet pierced his windshield and two women were hit by gunfire, including Brianna Williams, listed in critical condition and identified by friends as being shot in the head.

Police have not identified a suspect. Witnesses reported a suspect dressed in all black running away toward the direction of the Apex Apartments.

“It was a senseless act. It was a cowardly act. We want to bring this person to justice,” said Brad Perez with the Fort Worth Police Department.

“If these children actually had that good education, this gun violence that’s going on, these murders and killings, it wouldn’t be part of their daily routine because they would know that using a gun has repercussions and consequences behind it,” Teena James said in reaction to the shooting.

“It is personal because this is the neighborhood I grew up in,” said Kristian Houston from the mentorship program 4DABrothers, a mentorship program for young men in Fort Worth.

“It hurts because Stop Six is not a bad place at all. It’s just like any other neighborhood,” said Quentrel Tankxley with 4DABrothers. “I would say it wouldn’t happen as much if we fund those programs who are there to help the community.”

“It’s the situations people live in. We live in tough situations. And a lot of people not in our community don’t understand the situations,” he said.

“We are a part of the fight. We are in the fight. We are the fight. We need to stop what’s going on,” James added.

As of late Monday afternoon, FWPD are still searching for a suspect.