Terrifying footage shows crowds running for their lives as a gunman opens fire at a Texas festival
Petrified revelers run for their lives in harrowing footage of the moment a gunman opened fire during Texas Independence Day celebrations.
The gunman killed three and wounded eight at the July 4 festival in Fort Worth’s Como neighborhood around 11:40 p.m. Monday.
Police have yet to determine a motive for the shooting and have not yet made any arrests, but said an injured person in the shooting is a suspect.
The deadly shooting was captured on surveillance footage showing large groups of people trying to hide from the hail of bullets and adults trying to protect children.
A poignant clip shows a woman – credited as Faith Woods – running away from the scene, repeatedly screaming ‘Oh my god! We’re going to die.’
Shocking video shows crowds at a Texas festival running for their lives as a gunman killed three people and injured eight others — including a minor — in a parking lot Monday night
Cynthia Santos, 22, has been identified as one of the victims of the fatal shooting, as has Paul Willis, 18, who his mother said dreamed of becoming an electrician
The three victims who died have been identified as Cynthia Santos, 22, Paul Willis, 18, and Gabriella Navarrete, 18.
Willis’ mother, Ka’Desha Weatherly, told her WFAA that she ran so fast that she completely missed her son.
“So I walked past my son. Girls held him crying. I didn’t even know my baby was on the floor,” she said.
Weatherly said her son got his life in order and was working towards becoming an electrician.
“He has his own apartment. He did the things a young man should do,’ she said. “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.”
Santos’ cousin, Tania Torres, spoke of how trustworthy her now deceased relative was.
‘She was a hard worker. She always supported me and my crazy ideas. I loved her like a sister,’ she said.
First responders struggled to treat casualties as revelers poured out of the area following the neighborhood’s annual ComoFest.
Police on the scene after the shooting in Fort Worth’s Como neighborhood around 11:40 p.m. on the eve of July 4 at Diaz Avenue and Horne Street
Police cordon off the area after the shooting. First responders struggled to treat casualties as revelers poured out of the area following the neighborhood’s annual ComoFest held on the eve of July 4
“A lot of car traffic, a lot of foot traffic,” said Captain Shawn Murray of the Fort Worth Police Department.
“There were fireworks going off, a lot of people were just trying to flee the area because of the many gunfire, so it was difficult for them to navigate the area quickly.”
Some victims were rushed to hospital in private cars, while others were transported in ambulances. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers cordoned off two blocks of Horne Street while crime scene investigators got to work.
“We don’t know if this is domestic or gang related. It’s too early to say that at this point. We just know that someone fired several times and a number of people were injured. Hopefully it’s just a single shooter and not a crossfire situation. Homicide will sort that out,” said Captain Murray.
Fort Worth police said investigators believe someone opened fire on the crowd, hitting at least 11 people and leaving terrified festival-goers fleeing for their lives.
The violent incident comes after a shooting shortly after ComoFest in 2021 that left eight people injured. No one was killed.
Police guard the scene after the deadly chaos that erupted after ComoFest. It comes after a shooting shortly after ComoFest in 2021 that left eight people injured. No one was killed
Police are on the scene Monday evening after the massacre in Fort Worth
Later in the day, President Joe Biden released a statement on gun violence following the shooting in Fort Worth, as well as those in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
More action is needed, he said, to “address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.”
He called on Congressional Republicans and Capitol Hill to negotiate gun reform proposals with Democrats.
“It is within our power to re-ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of weapons, end weapons manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and conduct universal background checks.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 340 mass shootings so far in 2023.