Birthday party turns to violent shooting outside Fort Worth church, teen injured

A dispute that occurred outside a church and event center in Fort Worth late Saturday night left a teenage boy hospitalized with a gunshot wound, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.

Officers said they responded to the 7300 block of South Freeway around 11:07 p.m. after reports of a shooting in the parking lot between the New Bethel Complete In Christ Church and the New Bethel Family Life Center.

According to police, when they arrived, they found a 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital and expected to survive.

Investigators said the event center was hosting a birthday party attended by mostly teenagers when someone went to their car and grabbed a gun.

"It just turned violent. Somebody went out to their car because of a discussion they didn't like and tried to solve it with violence, and that just cannot happen in Fort Worth," said Officer Buddy Calzada, public information officer for the Fort Worth Police Department.

Detectives do not believe the teen was the intended target of the shooting and have yet to make an arrest, though they stated they are actively tracking down leads.

"Here in the next few days we're hoping to get that suspect and that weapon in our hands," said Calzada.

Neighbor Gustavo Trejo lives directly next to the event center and heard multiple shots Saturday night.

Trejo's surveillance cameras captured teenagers running from the shooting and seeking shelter in his yard.

"Those shots could have come into the [house]. Honestly, it angered me," Trejo said.

Trejo said the event center typically hosts dance or athletic events and it was only recently he noticed loud parties happening on the weekend.

It's unclear who hosted the party and what the relationship between the church and the event center next door is. NBC 5 was unable to reach anyone at either location on Monday.

Fort Worth Police said they are still trying to determine who was responsible for hosting the party and believe private security was on-site during the party.