Five people killed in one day in Fort Worth in four unrelated shootings
It was a violent weekend in Fort Worth.
Five people were killed Sunday in four separate, unrelated shootings. The incidents happened in different neighborhoods across Fort Worth.
"From the department standpoint, I can tell you that we're thankful none of these are related," said Officer Buddy Calzada, the Public Information Officer for the Fort Worth Police Department. "This is not like some kind of gang issue that's out of control, and they're all piggybacking off of each other. They're each their own separate case."
The first fatal shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday at a house party on North Houston Street. A 19-year-old, identified as Anthony Luis Rangel by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office, died of gunshot wounds.
Police say two other people were also shot after a fight at the party escalated. No suspects have been arrested yet.
A few hours later, 24-year-old Matthew Fonseca was shot and killed in the 3000 block of Conejos Drive, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Police arrested 24-year-old Jonathan Martinez for murder in what officers describe as a domestic incident. In the arrest warrant, the detective said Martinez admitted to shooting Fonseca after his ex-girlfriend called him and told him Fonseca had assaulted her.
The fugitive task force took Martinez into custody in Fort Worth without incident, according to police.
"It gives the family a little relief, even though their loved one has been killed," Officer Calzada said. "Gives the family a little relief knowing that our detectives are behind the scenes, letting those who are responsible for this pay for their crime."
The third fatal shooting on Sunday happened in the 3000 block of Forest Avenue. Witnesses described a disturbance in a backyard, followed by gunshots.
"And when we arrived on scene, we did locate the deceased individual in a backyard," said Calzada. "In that case, for that incident, we don't have a suspect in custody as of this interview, but we're definitely working on that."
The most recent incident happened just before 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Police arrested 17-year-old Marquavius Hunt for capital murder of multiple persons. They believe he shot and killed two young men on Asheville Lane.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, 16-year-old Billy Gipson and 25-year-old Jaylan Sharp were talking in the street with Hunt when Gipson and Sharp began fighting over a rifle.
"Our 17-year-old came in and tried to resolve it and ended up shooting both of them multiple times," said Calzada. "So you have a suspect who was not even involved in the altercation trying to come and settle it."
Police say each of the unrelated shootings started as an argument or an altercation of some type and turned deadly.
"Let time be the healer in this and just talk it out," he said. "But solving it with any kind of weapons, anything that would be dangerous to take a life or cause serious bodily injury, is not what we're looking for. We're looking for adults to utilize this conflict resolution."
Sunday's killings bring the total homicides in Fort Worth this year to 37. That is up from 28 at the same time last year, but police say it's on par with the average for the past five years.
"When we see certain parts of town that might flare up, or neighborhoods, we utilize our extra resources," Calzada said. "We want the public to know that we see the crime trends, the trends in crime, just as much as they do."
Moving forward, the department says people will see an increased police presence where all of Sunday's shootings took place.
New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church is holding an in response to the recent violence. The Southside Church is holding a "Baptisms Not Burials" service at 6 p.m. on Juneteenth.
Pastor Kyev Tatum said he's committed to "curbing gun violence with Christ."
