Eight wounded in shootings at Fort Worth car wash

Updated at 3:30 p.m.: Revised to include additional information from police.

Eight people were wounded in shootings at a Fort Worth car wash early Sunday, and a juvenile girl suffered minor injuries when a car hit her as she tried to flee the scene, police said.

All of the victims were in stable condition, police say, in part because of lifesaving measures from the first officers who arrived on the scene.

Police Chief Neil Noakes said Sunday morning that an officer heard the gunshots about 1:30 a.m. near the 3400 block of Horne Street, in the Como neighborhood southwest of downtown Fort Worth.

Police said later that afternoon that the shootings began after an argument between several men. During the dispute, one person left the scene, retrieved a gun and opened fire at groups of people.

Multiple people in the area then returned fire, police said. It was unclear whether the first gunman was struck, but police said most victims seemed to be innocent bystanders.

Noakes said that the tactical medical unit — officers trained as EMTs and paramedics — was able to provide medical care to the victims as soon as they arrived at the car wash.

“There may be some lives that were saved because of the actions of our Fort Worth police officers who were out here,” the chief said.

All the victims, whose names were not released, were taken to area hospitals in stable condition.

No suspects had been identified.

It was unclear why the group was at the car wash, and whether the gathering was a July Fourth celebration.

The neighborhood had hosted the first ComoFest, a celebration with live music and family-friendly activities, a few hours before the shooting, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Most families had left the area long before the shooting. An annual Como Day Parade, scheduled for Monday, normally brings thousands of people to the neighborhood.

According to the Star-Telegram, police have regularly patrolled the neighborhood on July 3 each year because of complaints of loud crowds and the potential for violence. In 1988, a crowd threw rocks and bottles at cars, leading to 15 arrests on the night before the holiday.

Noakes said he was frustrated by the shooting’s timing.

“This is an extremely tragic event on what is supposed to be a festive occasion on Independence Day,” the chief said. “We’re seeing way too much gun violence across the nation. We’re seeing it in Fort Worth.”