An 82-year-old woman recovering after being shot through her back door late Thursday night is the mother of Fort Worth City Councilman Carlos Flores, NBC 5 has learned.
According to Fort Worth Police, at about 9 p.m. officers were called to a shooting at home on the 1400 block of Circle Park Boulevard. Officers and MedStar personnel arrived to find Graciela Flores with an apparent gunshot wound.
Graciela Flores told police she'd been inside her North Side Fort Worth home when she said someone approached her back door. At first, she told police she thought the person was a relative and called out that person's name. The woman said she then heard a gunshot followed by sudden pain in her abdomen and the sight of blood.
"Whether she was shot intentionally or unintentionally, that part I don’t know. I mean, it’s still going to be part of the investigation I’m not sure," Officer Brad Perez said Friday. "I know there’s speculation out there coming from different people about this and all that, and it’s only natural to assume. Right now, we’re still investigating and we can’t say for certain as far as what…if any…motivation, there was."
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First responders transported the woman to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth where her son said she was resting and recovering Friday afternoon.
Flores's son, who is Fort Worth District 2 City Councilman Carlos Flores, said in a statement to NBC 5 that his mother was hit with a stray bullet fired from the backyard of a nearby property and that he called 911 while attending to her.
"In the worst of times, we are often at our best. Observing the actions and professionalism of our first responders gave my family comfort and assurance in our time of need," the councilman said in a statement. "Our family was hurt by gun violence and the bad choices of an irresponsible individual, but my family and I are deeply grateful for our police, fire, MedStar and the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital staff. In the words of my mother, ‘You stood by us and we stand by you.’ We appreciate the Fort Worth community’s prayers for her recovery and the continued investigation.”
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Mary Jane Berlanga's sister and father live a few houses down from Flores. Berlanga said she has never felt unsafe in the neighborhood, but she is now more vigilant.
"We need to learn to respect and love one another, but we see nowadays that is a forgotten trait. That’s unfortunate," Berlanga said. "It’s a world that doesn’t know fear anymore. There’s no respect. There’s no thought of even a person’s life anymore. That’s the sad part about the direction we’re going."
According to a police report on the shooting, officers arrested 35-year-old Johnathan Howard at about 4:30 a.m. at a home on Lincoln Avenue about two blocks away from Flores's home on Circle Park.
Howard has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Police did not say how they identified Howard in the shooting or what additional charges he is expected to face. It's not clear if Howard has obtained an attorney.
The reason for the gunfire has not been revealed by officials. The Fort Worth Police gun violence unit is investigating the shooting.
"The persistence and professionalism of the Fort Worth Police Department’s Gun Violence Unit removed a dangerous person from our neighborhood. The suspect is in custody now. I won’t allow this bad act to obscure all of the good in this community," Carlos said in a statement.
