Fort Worth Police responded to calls of a shooting at 2:13 pm Sunday afternoon in the 8500 block of Steel Dust Drive. Upon arrival, police discovered three boys, ages 17, 5 and 18 months, with gunshot wounds. The victims were treated at the scene and transported to local hospitals. Despite treatment, the unidentified boys, ages 17 and 5, died. The 18-month-old victim suffered minor injuries and is expected to survive. Fort Worth police also learned that an unknown number of people drove to the location where they fired at a group of people in the front yard, injuring the three young victims. Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at a news conference that when violent crime is on the rise across the country and the city, the deaths of children add to the tragedy. “When you have children being murdered completely senselessly, it adds another layer to this tragedy that we’re all experiencing,” Chief Noakes said. Noakes added that both the dead victims will never make it to full life or school and that the injured 18-month-old child will experience physical and emotional setbacks. “This 17-year-old will never graduate. This 5-year-old will never graduate from kindergarten,” Noakes said. “This 18-month-old will have physical and emotional scars that may stay with him for the rest of his life.” A neighbor who stopped by the house to deliver flowers became emotional talking about the tragedy. “It shouldn’t have happened. A seventeen-year-old, a five-year-old and an eighteen-month-old. It’s sad,” said Johney Baldridge. Another neighbor shared footage of the doorbell that captured her screaming and shouting moments after the shooting. Andre Chambers said he has lived in the neighborhood for two years and often sees children playing outside. “It’s very shocking, very strange and I’m just praying for the family,” Chambers said. The investigation remains active at this time. Fort Worth police said if you have information about the shooting, call 817-392-4336. The case number is 220068041.
