Fort Worth mass shooting: 2 arrested in connection to deadly shooting, believed to be gang-related
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police have arrested two people in connection to the shooting that killed three people and injured eight others in Fort Worth's Como neighborhood on Monday night.
20-year-old Christopher Redic Jr. and 19-year-old Brandon Williams were both arrested and charged with murder on Friday. The two Fort Worth men are now charged with murder.
"We do believe this was gang-related," Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said in a news conference Friday.
Three people died, including 22-year-old Cynthia Santos, 18-year-old Paul Willis, and 18-year-old Gabriella Navarrete, after shooters opened fire on a crowd of hundreds on Horne Street late Monday night.
Fort Worth Como Shooting: What we know about the victims
All of the victims of the Como shooting have now been identified. Details are beginning to be released about them.
Eight others were injured, including Daron Rutherford. He told FOX 4 he was shot while trying to shield his daughter from the gunfire.
Police believe the two suspects were at the large block party off Horne Street and fired into the crowd of people following a fight.
"I don’t know who they were shooting at, but there is a potential that altercation is what initiated the violence to occur," Noakes said.
Police say surveillance cameras that captured the shooting from multiple angles helped homicide detectives make the arrests, but they’re still investigating if others fired weapons Monday evening as well.
Chief Noakes says his department is familiar with both Redic and Williams.
We also asked the chief if the two suspects are from the Como neighborhood. He couldn’t confirm at this time but did add, "The violence that happened in this community was not necessarily perpetrated by someone from that community."
Hours after the arrests, a vigil was held on the steps of the Tarrant County courthouse for the victims and to promote peace over gun violence.
Some of Navarrete’s family members attended the vigil but requested privacy at this time.
People wore orange and brought flowers to show unity during this time of healing.
"We grieve with Como," Rev. Kyev Tatum said at the vigil. "We grieve for the north side and the south side. But we grieve for our city."
Noakes urged anyone with video, photos or information to share it with police.
Fort Worth police said that they will make changes to the events surrounding the ComoFest celebration moving forward.
Noakes said he was blown away by the resilience of the Como community.
"They are standing strong. They are leaning on each other," he said.
Police said they plan to release more video from the shooting next week.