Fort Worth ISD elementary school employee shot multiple times in parking lot
FOREST HILL, Texas - A Fort Worth ISD cafeteria worker was murdered at the elementary school campus where she worked.
The woman, whose name has not been released, was shot and killed before classes started at Sellars Elementary in Forest Hill, and the shooter got away.
Classes were held as usual, and it wasn't until after school was over that parents finally got an explanation about what happened.
Forrest Hill police haven’t announced any arrests. They haven’t released who they are looking for, only saying they found the suspect’s vehicle abandoned in Fort Worth shortly after the shooting.
Even that information came out hours after the shooting and after kids had gone home for the day.
Afternoon pick up Wednesday at Fort Worth ISD’s David K. Sellars Elementary looked different.
Parents had to walk inside the school to pick up their children because a school employee was gunned down in a campus parking lot.
Parents tell FOX 4 they weren't even aware of the murder outside the elementary school that's in the city of Forest Hill.
Many left concerned Wednesday afternoon with extra security standing outside and little to no information.
After school was let out, Forest Hill police announced a female employee at the elementary was shot multiple times and killed in the back parking lot just before 7 a.m.
PTA President Keisha Braziel pulled up with her son Wednesday to police tape.
"All we knew was something bad happened and didn’t know what completely what," she said.
Featured
Midlothian police searching for 3 suspects who kidnapped elderly couple
Three armed suspects tied up an elderly couple and attempted to access to their online bank accounts, according to Midlothian Police.
Braziel tells FOX 4 she later learned the woman killed was a long-time cafeteria worker at Sellars Elementary, who was beloved and has been at the school for decades.
"She was a very happy and energetic person who works here for many, many years," Braziel said. "She was a mainstay here at the school, and she will leave a void."
Forest Hill police didn’t confirm the woman’s position at the school. Investigators are only saying the woman was seen speaking to a person in another vehicle in the parking lot after she arrived for work.
After shots were fired, police say the suspect took off in a silver chevy impala. The car was later found unoccupied in Fort Worth.
Police believe the woman knew her killer, and they briefed Fort Worth ISD with what they knew. The district decided to continue the school day.
Parents had the option to drop their kid off or keep them at home.
The district says students who were on campus were held in the auditorium until lunchtime after police determined the suspect was no longer in the area.
Braziel says her phone was constantly ringing because police nor the district disclosed the suspect was still on the run.
"I think it adds to the fear of people and the uncertainty," she said.
Forest Hill Mayor Stephanie Boardingham addressed media and parents briefly but said little.
"I do not have specific details regarding this incident to release to you," she said.
The mayor revealed police weren’t relaying any information to her office.
"We don’t have the details, and we are going to shut this down at this time," she said.
The woman’s identity will be released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The motive is still unclear. No one is in custody.
School will be open Thursday with extra security but normal classes.