TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — He was just a teenager.
Police say the young man shot and killed in an apartment breezeway on Weiler Boulevard in east Fort Worth was only 16 years old. He was found Monday night with multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
The boy is not just Fort Worth's latest homicide victim, he's also at least the sixth teenager to die of gun violence in Tarrant County this month alone.
Four of those victims, two of whom the Medical Examiner confirmed as homicide victims, died in Fort Worth.
"From a young man, a police officer, who’s grown up in the neighborhoods where this is happening, it hurts," Officer Tracy Carter said, giving a first-person perspective. "We want to change the outcome. We don't want to see another young man or young lady laid to rest."
Carter said the Fort Worth Police Department is deeply concerned about the violence, saying often times it arises from something as small as a disagreement on social media over "likes."
Deputy Police Chief Chris Cook in Arlington is also concerned. In his city, a teen was recently shot to death outside Hurricane Harbor. He said they're not just seeing teen victims, but teen perpetrators, as well.
"We’re seeing a lot of incidents... where we’re responding to shots being fired at parks or at residences or at cars," Cook listed. "We don’t really have a victim, thankfully, no one’s been struck, but these are all potential homicides, and a lot of them deal with young people."
He said teens' involvement in shootings begs a bigger question: "Where are they getting access to firearms?"
Teenage suspects end up in Judge Alex Kim's juvenile criminal court. He said juvenile gun violence in the county was down overall in 2020 during the pandemic, in spite of the recent spike being seen in teen victims. He also said overall, juvenile crime cases were down.
"But the severity of crimes – there were a whole lot more serious crimes, a lot more shootings, a lot more homicides," Kim said.
Police departments are feverishly focusing now on increasing existing outreach or creating new programs. Both Fort Worth and Arlington offer mentoring programs and ways to connect with kids, and they want parents to get involved.
"There's an unmet need that we need to look at, as a police department and as a community," Carter said.
"We're looking for ways to continue this conversation," Cook added.
It's a tough conversation that needs to be had, for the sake of Tarrant County's youth.
It all comes as county officials look to curb an overall increase in violence - particularly homicides - this year that's stretching first responders and their resources.
Crime in Fort Worth over the past 10 days:
June 28: A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the 2700 block of Weiler Boulevard.
June 27: A man was shot and killed at a motel in the 8700 block of West Freeway Service Road.
June 27: Police believe an altercation led to one man being fatally shot at a motel at 2108 E. Lancaster Avenue, police said.
June 25: A man driving a motorcycle was in critical condition after he was shot by another driver at Interstate 35W, police said. The driver of an SUV shot the motorcyclist following a road rage incident, police said.
June 25: Police believe two brothers shot each other in the 5600 block of Diaz Avenue. One man was in critical condition.
June 24: A man was taken to the hospital after he was shot in the 6600 block of South Freeway.
June 21: A man was fatally shot in the 2300 block of Lee Avenue.