Fort Worth City Council member’s 82-year-old mother shot in her north side home

Graciela Flores, mother of Fort Worth City Council member Carlos Flores, was shot in her home in Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood Thursday night, and a suspect is in custody.

Carlos Flores confirmed the 82-year-old victim was his mother in a statement Friday. He thanked first-responders for their efforts to save her life.

“In the worst of times, we are often at our best. Observing the actions and professionalism of our first-responders gave my family comfort and assurance in our time of need,” the councilman said.

The bullet struck the elder Flores in the abdomen but didn’t hit any vital organs.

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department said officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Circle Park Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday regarding the shooting.

According to the initial police report, Graciela Flores was inside her house when she thought she heard someone outside the back door. She told police that she thought the person was a family member and she called out the relative’s name. Then she heard a gunshot through the door and felt pain in her abdomen. She saw blood and realized that she had been shot.

Carlos Flores said he believes that his mother was hit by a stray bullet fired from the back yard of a nearby home.

Police department spokesman Officer Bradley Perez wasn’t immediately able to verify whether the gunshot was a stray bullet. The investigation is still in the early stages, and police will update the public as more information becomes available, Perez said.

Graciela Flores was stabilized and taken to a hospital in good condition Thursday, officials said.

She was released from the hospital Friday and is staying with family, Carlos Flores said. The District 2 councilman, who first took office in 2017, represents an area stretching north of downtown Fort Worth to Marine Creek. He is a former president of the Northside Neighborhood Association and lives in the same neighborhood. He called 911 and attended to his mother while waiting for police and medics to arrive.

According to a police report, a 35-year-old man was arrested shortly before 4:30 a.m. Friday. The suspect, Jonathan Howard, faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct by discharging a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Howard was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail and his bond has been set at $35,000.

Howard’s home address is listed in the police report as Lincoln Avenue, about two blocks from the Flores family. Police have not said how they connected Howard to the shooting or why the shot was fired. It’s unclear whether Howard has an attorney.

According to court records, Howard has a history of arrests on charges including forgery, assault and drug possession.

The Gun Violence Unit is investigating the shooting.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker took to social media Friday to send prayers to the Flores family.

“I am so thankful to hear that Graciela is recovering well and that our first responders provided the needed support and worked quickly to bring a dangerous person into custody,” Parker said in a tweet.

Carlos Flores said he “won’t allow this bad act to obscure all of the good in this community.”

“Our family was hurt by gun violence and the bad choices of an irresponsible individual, but my family and I are deeply grateful for our Police, Fire, MedStar and the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital staff,” he said. “In the words of my mother, ‘You stood by us and we stand by you.’ We appreciate the Fort Worth community’s prayers for her recovery and the continued investigation.”