5 suspects charged in Las Vegas Trail drive-by shooting that injured 6, including 4 kids
Five suspects were arrested in a drive-by shooting on May 1 that injured six people in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood of west Fort Worth, police said in a news release Thursday.
Each suspect is charged with six counts of aggravated assault causing bodily harm-discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, and one count of deadly conduct discharge firearm at a habitation.
The suspects are identified as:
Jamal Piper, 17, of Fort Worth
Hayden Bates-Vellmure, 18, of Fort Worth
Jordan Elijah Jackson, 20, of Fort Worth
Allan Gilbert, 18, of Dallas
Patrick Biscoe, 19, of Dallas
Piper and Bates-Vellmure were taken into custody in Fort Worth, Jackson in Bedford, Gilbert in Desoto, and Biscoe in Dallas.
Detectives believe the incident was a targeted shooting aimed at an individual who lived near theMiramar apartments at 3604 Las Vegas Trail — where the shooting occurred.
The six people wounded ranged in age from 3 to 19, with the 3-year-old being the most critically injured.
The toddler, Me’chelle Kinney, was released from the hospital May 16 after undergoing multiple surgeries, including the removal of her right kidney. Her brother, 6-year-old Ka’deon Kinney — also injured in the shooting — was released from the hospital May 6. Doctors had to insert a metal plate in Ka’deon’s leg after a bullet from the shooting hit him in the femur.
A 14-year-old boy was grazed in the leg by a bullet and is OK, he told KXAS-TV. Two more victims were taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center and a 19-year-old was taken to a local hospital.
The 19-year-old victim, Tanzania Day, suffered a gunshot wound to her right thigh and she now requires crutches to walk, Star-Telegram media partner, WFAA-TV reported.
“The mental impact all of the children witnessed and suffered through the fear of losing their lives is something I could never imagine any child or human to ever have to experience,” said Me’chelle’s and Ka’deon’s mother, Druscilla Rodriguez, in a GoFundMe organized for the family.
The fundraiser aims to help Me’chelle, Ka’deon, and their family cover medical expenses, basic needs, and a new place to live.
“Due to the tragic impact of this crime, all of the children will be deeply traumatized by this,” the GoFundMe reads. “Making the decision to run outside and play for those kids will never feel the same, at least for a while.”
The arrests come about three weeks after Fort Worth police identified the suspect vehicle linked to the shooting.
Police say officers utilized information from witnesses and surveillance video to identify the suspects.
