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Fort Worth police chief to present violent crime reduction plan after 4 teens killed within 4-week stretch

The most recent killings involved a 13-year-old boy, Kory Smith, who was killed alongside a 19-year-old at a Valentine's Day party early Saturday morning.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes is set to present a strategy to reduce violent crime within the city to council members Tuesday following a string of shootings that's left four teens dead in just four weeks. 

The latest victims are 13-year-old Kory Smith and 19-year-old Simieon Joseph. 

Both were shot and killed early Saturday morning while attending a Valentine's Day party near 1100 East Baltimore. 

Credit: Family photo
Simieon Joseph

Both were transported to the hospital, where Smith died. Joseph later died after receiving treatment. 

The department is staying tight-lipped about what happened -- only telling WFAA that a motive is under investigation and that it's still looking for a suspect(s). 

A man related to the woman who hosted the party told WFAA that a group of individuals not invited arrived and that an argument led to shots being fired. 

The man also said that Smith and Joseph were innocent bystanders. 

Joseph's parents, Melody and Dexter, spoke with WFAA Sunday afternoon, saying they'd been blindsided. 

"They didn't just take my son," Melody Joseph said. "They took a friend. I want them to catch whoever did this, and I want them to get the max penalty."

Before Smith and Joseph were killed, 18-year-old Christian Armijo was gunned down last Wednesday. 

Per investigators, Armijo was shot and killed alongside 21-year-old Kevion Lenear in what's believed to be a drug-related robbery. The shooting was reported around 7 a.m. near 1900 Lawther Drive.

Jacqueline Campos, 17, was booked into jail for capital murder related to the crime. 

On Jan. 17, 15-year-old Higinio Flores Jr. was shot and killed during a drive-by while sleeping in his bed near 700 Ravine Road. 

Credit: WFAA

To this day, the department hasn't arrested the killer or killers. Last week, it released a photo of a suspect vehicle for the first time -- a dark gray Chrysler. 

Credit: WFAA
The suspect vehicle in a drive-by shooting that killed 15-year-old Higinio Flores, Jr. in Fort Worth, according to police.

Flores was a soccer player for Fort Worth's Polytechnic High School. His cousin, Alex Flores, told WFAA Monday that the teen always wanted to play soccer professionally and was looking forward to starting his own auto body repair shop. 

The car photo is the only thread investigators have to pull on. The department hasn't determined a motive or reason why someone would target Flores' home. 

Family members say up to 20 rounds were fired into the house. 

"He was impacted by the bullet in the back of his head while he was sleeping," Alex Flores told WFAA. "You feel like there's a missing piece of the family. We're devastated. We want justice -- whoever did this is just out there living their own life while our families are here suffering." 

Last year, Fort Worth reached 118 homicides, and it was a 27-year high for the city. 

In 1986, Fort Worth recorded 202 homicides, its record high, 'as crack cocaine sales burgeoned' per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

Noakes is set to reveal a violent crime reduction strategy to council members at 1 p.m. Tuesday. WFAA asked for a preview of that plan but didn't hear back.

 

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