A shooting spree in Fort Worth overnight Thursday sent police crews in a frenzy and neighbors in a panic in multiple areas across east and south Fort Worth on the night of the July Fourth holiday.
Fort Worth police confirmed two of the three shootings were homicides, with all three happening within a 30-minute time frame of each other.
The 911 call for the first shooting was made around 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the 3700 block of Castleman Street on the south end of the Stop Six neighborhood in east Fort Worth.
Police said multiple people were shooting at people after a large crowd of 200-300 took over several blocks of Castleman Street and launched fireworks toward neighboring homes.
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Ambulances and police were quickly dispatched to the scene. Police said Friday afternoon that officers arrived to find a female gunshot victim and a second person who suffered an unspecified medical emergency. Police said both people were taken to the hospital and that both died of their injuries.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will determine the causes of death and the identities of the victims will be released when their families have been notified of their deaths. So far, the medical examiner has confirmed the identity of one of the victims, 26-year-old Marcus Martin Jr.
Two other shooting victims were hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.
NBC 5 camera crews spoke to witnesses on the scene about what happened. They said people had just enjoyed fireworks for the Fourth of July in the hours before the shooting.
"When I came back to my house, I heard what I thought was new fireworks … Everybody was running and they were looking back,” said Bobby Warner, who witnessed the Castleman Street shooting. "But I didn't see no lights – it wasn't the fireworks. People got hurt today.”
Detectives believe that multiple people were responsible for shooting at people on Castleman Street and they are working to determine their identities. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tarrant County CrimeStoppers at 817-469-TIPS (8477) or www.469TIPS.com. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Meantime, the two other shootings happened just minutes after the first.
EASTLAND STREET SHOOTING
At 11:47 p.m., shots reportedly rang out on Eastland Street, just blocks away from the shooting on Castleman Street.
Fort Worth police have confirmed the two shootings are connected.
2 GIRLS, MAN KILLED OUTSIDE CAR WASH WHERE 6 WERE SHOT
A third shooting happened at about 11:40 p.m. in far southwest Fort Worth at a car wash on the 7500 block of West Cleburne Road.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner confirmed two victims, young girls ages 1 and 5, were killed in the shooting. An adult man who was believed to have been in a fight with another person was also killed.
Three others were wounded and are expected to be OK.
On Friday afternoon, police said they had identified a suspect in the shooting on Cleburne Road and charged him with capital murder of multiple persons.
