Fort Worth police investigating multiple shootings this week
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) – It was a deadly start to the week in the City of Fort Worth.
Police are investigating three shootings on the east side of the city in just as many days that left two people dead and several others injured.
The violence started on Monday when a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed on the 5500 block of Brentwood Stair Road. On Tuesday, a man was shot in the knee on the 6300 block of Brentwood Stair Road, less than a mile away from Monday's fatal shooting. And on Wednesday night, police were called to the Handley Oaks Apartments after 11 p.m., where they found four adults shot.
"When officers showed up, they found multiple gunshot victims on the scene, one of the victims unfortunately was declared deceased on scene," said Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes.
Two adults were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Homicide detectives are investigating but police are still looking for a suspect.
"It breaks my heart because it's preventable," said Rev. Kyev P. Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church.
Local community leaders are now calling on the city to invest more money in Fort Worth communities that have been torn apart by gun violence.
"We know that with the proper funding, with the proper resources, with the proper support, it will reduce not only gun violence but it will help the mental health crisis in our community," said Tatum.
They're calling for more funding for healthcare, education, mental health and poverty reduction in marginalized communities across the city.
"If you address these issues in that community where there's high gun violence, it will tilt the scale back to reduce gun violence," Tatum said.