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Despite some progress from a new violent crime strategy that launched earlier this year, Fort Worth has seen a year-to-date increase in homicides, police said.
The Fort Worth Police Department issued a statement Monday evening following multiple incidents in the city over the weekend, including the fatal shooting of two children.
Jamarrien Monroe, 17, and Rayshard Scott, 5, have been identified as the victims of the shooting, which occurred Sunday afternoon in front of a home on Steel Dust Drive, police have said. An 18-month-old child was also injured by gunfire, but survived, according to police.
“There is no excuse for this unnecessary violence and our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” the department said in a Monday news release.
Police said officers responded to multiple shooting calls this weekend. Chin “Jin” Shin was fatally shot in Fort Worth earlier this month when an argument related to a car crash escalated. During a different incident this month, a woman fatally shot a man that she had stolen jewelry from.
The department started a new violent crime strategy in April, and as of Aug. 23, had seen a 5.5% year-to-date decrease in homicides, the department said in the release.
Despite a 2.4% increase in robberies, police said the city saw a 24% decrease in non-fatal shootings in April and 23% decrease in aggravated assaults.
Crimes over the weekend, however, pushed the city’s year-to-date homicide rate one more than last year’s number, the department said, adding that it has “a lot of work to do.”
“By working with the community, we are gaining valuable information about people and places that contribute to violent crime,” the release stated. “Our officers continue working hard to ensure our community is made safer every day. Their efforts have been absolutely inspiring.”