‘It’s time for gun violence to stop’: Community members grieve for Como, other shootings

Songs of worship were sung and tears were shed Friday evening outside of the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth, where an activist group protested gun violence in light of shootings over the Fourth of July weekend.

“Our city is hurting from the north side, to the east side, to the west side, to the south side,” said Donnell Ballard, founder of activist group United My Justice, at a vigil where community members were welcome to grieve together.

Three people were killed and eight others were injured Monday evening at an afterparty following the annual neighborhood celebration ComoFest when two gunmen fired into the crowd. On Friday afternoon, police arrested two suspects in that shooting, which investigators said was gang-related.

At another July Fourth block party early Wednesday in northwest Fort Worth, two men who police said were armed were fatally shot by two officers. Authorities said officers saw the two men, Bronshay Minter, 30, and Billy Jaquan Smith, 21, in an altercation. Family members of Minter have urged the police department to show body-camera video of the shooting, which Chief Neil Noakes said likely will be released early in the coming week.

Fort Worth is one of 10 U.S. cities this month with shootings resulting in the injury or death of four or more people, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

“This is not just about one part, this is about the whole entire city,” Ballard said.

Kyev Tatum, pastor at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, said the Fort Worth community not only grieves for Como but also for Minter, Smith, and Andra Craig, who died when his vehicle was in a collision with a police SUV that was pursuing another car on Thursday evening. Craig was not involved in the chase.

“Not enough attention has been given to families to help them heal during this tragedy,” Tatum said.

The family of 18-year-old Gabriella Navarrete, one of the three victims who was killed in the Como shooting along with 22-year-old Cynthia Santos and 18-year-old Paul Willis, attended the vigil. Family members and loved ones of Billy Jaquan Smith, including his mother, Cynthia Smith, were also at the event.

Vincent Cardona, 19, told the Star-Telegram at the vigil that he was hurting for Gabriella, who he was friends with, and for Cynthia Santos, who he knew through a mutual friend.

“She was just a blessing,” said Cardona about Gabriella. “All she wanted to do is just be out there for her family.”

According to Cardona, Gabriella had a child.

“She just wanted to be there for her kid. It’s just a tragedy what happened to her,” Cardona said. “The kid is still a little baby and now they’re not going to know what happened to their mom.”

Cardona asked attendees at the vigil to pray “and just be there for the families.”

Tatum said that police and Fort Worth city leaders failed to provide support to the community in response to the recent shootings.

“Why are we here? Because the mayor did not call us together. Why do we have this meeting? Because city leadership did not call us together,” Tatum said. “It takes people who are willing to challenge the status quo in this city to be able to put the pressure to get them to do something.”

Tatum said United My Justice established a faith-based task force to address gun violence among youths.

“We grieve for our city because when we need real leadership, our mayor, and other leaders are missing in action,” Tatum said.

Lee Muhammad, minister at Muhammad Mosque #52 of the Nation of Islam, said the community, including city leaders, need to communicate and strategize to begin healing.

“We’re not asking you to throw a whole bunch of money at the problem, but love don’t cost a thing,” said Muhammad. “And when you don’t have love, which is a natural need, then what happens is that you see us turning toward hatred for one another.”

“We’re asking the city of Fort Worth to look past all the faults that you see in our communities and look at the needs,” Muhammad said. “It’s time for gun violence to stop.”

United My Justice had just held a press conference two weeks ago on June 23 outside of Fort Worth City Hall, where they demanded city leaders and police to take action in response to a recent increase in gun violence.

City leaders pointed to a program being implemented this summer they say is designed to combat gun violence among teens. The One Second Collaborative is a partnership among agencies including the city, the police department, Tarrant County and United Way that “brings an evidence-based approach to addressing youth violence by uniting and coordinating community-based organizations that deliver street outreach, education, counseling, life coaching and other support to young people,” city officials said in a news release.

“To create lasting solutions, we must be pro-police and pro-community at the same time through dynamic efforts like the One Second Collaborative coming online this summer and the CCPD (Crime Control and Prevention District) grants that are open now,” said Mayor Mattie Parker in a statement to the Star-Telegram on June 24. “I continue to be committed to working with FWPD on this, as well as the many community groups invested in creating a safer Fort Worth, and my door is open to meeting with residents with concerns.”

At a press conference Friday afternoon to announce the arrest of two murder suspects — Christopher Redic Jr., 20, and Brandon Williams, 19 — in the Como shooting, Chief Noakes said he and other city leaders attended a community meeting in the neighborhood on Thursday night. Residents and family members of the victims spoke about their trauma and heartbreak but also the resilience of the community, he said.

“Despite the tragedy of the situation, despite the young lives that were taken, we saw a community who instead of lying down and giving up, stood tall, rallied around one another and loved one another,” Noakes said.

Discussion at the meeting also focused on how to preserve the traditions of the community July Fourth weekend celebration while looking to make changes to the afterparty to keep away outsiders with bad intentions, Noakes said.

“Last night the Como community made it loud and clear that they want to be part of that discussion and they want to see changes, too,” Noakes said Friday.

Asked what he would say to young people about gun violence, Noakes said, “There is so much more to live for, there is so much more value that should be placed not only on the lives of their potential victims but on themselves as well.

“It seems unfortunately the only conflict resolution skills some are using involve a gun,” the chief said. “It doesn’t matter how minor an altercation may be — someone pulls out a gun and maybe someone else pulls out a gun, and it ends in death and tragedy.”

Noakes said the One Second Collaborative gets its name from the idea that “if the first thought you have is to turn to a gun, just take one second, make another choice, live to see tomorrow.”