Officials say multiple people were shot in the 3600 block of Las Vegas Trail Wednesday night. Sources tell WFAA police have identified a “vehicle of interest.”
FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth Police have identified a “vehicle of interest” that may soon lead to the arrest of a drive-by shooter who struck six people standing outside an apartment on Las Vegas Trail Wednesday, sources told WFAA.
Investigators spotted the car on flock cameras and nearby residents’ security cameras, the source said. It’s still not clear what prompted the gunfire, but city leaders say they do not believe the shooting is gang-related.
Medics took five of the six victims to the hospital Wednesday. One person had serious injuries, one person had moderate injuries, and three others had minor injuries, according to a spokesperson for MedStar. The sixth victim refused medical care.
Police said four of the victims were children, including a 3-year-old.
“It makes me sick to my stomach,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes told WFAA Wednesday. “You know what? It pisses me off.”
“I’ve said many times it makes me angry or mad. I’m pissed off,” he continued. “There’s absolutely no reason anybody should be conducting themselves in such a violent, careless, heartless way.”
It’s still not clear how many people fired weapons from the car. Police stressed this was an “isolated incident,” though.
Neighbors said some of the victims often gathered outside the apartment complex where they were shot.
“They could’ve been burying that baby today,” said Natasha Woods, who lives in a duplex across from the apartment where the shooting occurred.
The Las Vegas Trail area has struggled since Carswell Air Force Base closed, flattening the neighborhood’s economy, since 1994. The installation now hosts the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
For years, Carswell hosted the amenities other neighborhoods enjoy in standalone facilities: doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and other community gathering places.
“This area was built up around the heyday of the base when you needed temporary housing and people were here one or two years as they moved in and out of the base,” said city councilman Michael Crain, who represents the area. “What we’ve learned in urban planning is you shouldn’t put this many apartments in one area.”
Crain noted the city has committed millions toward neighborhood amenities in recent years, including a new community center that hosts after-school programming.
The city and JPS Hospital will soon open a mixed-use medical clinic in Las Vegas Trail, bringing health care services to the neighborhood for the first time since Carswell’s closure. That facility will also host a police storefront, community kitchen and food pantry.
“It’s really about putting assets into this community that didn’t exist before,” Crain said.
From January 1 through March 31, Fort Worth Police responded to 97 crimes against people. That’s down 27% from the same time in 2023, when police recorded 132 crimes against people.
Total crime fell 9% in those months, too, though there were 22 more property crimes than in 2023.
Crain said the city will have to continue to be vigilant to keep those numbers low during the summer, traditionally the most violent season.
“Public safety is our number one job,” Crain said. “We’ve got to keep citizens safe or we won’t continue to have the growth and the prosperity Fort Worth has had.”
