One man was injured, and another is dead after two separate crimes were committed on Fort Worth motorways on Wednesday.
An apparent road rage incident resulted in a man being fatally shot during the morning of December 27, which was followed a few hours later by the unrelated shooting of a FedEx driver.
The first incident occurred to the south in the 12400 block of South Freeway, while the second occurred west on a service road by I-30 West near Alta Mere Drive.
“This is just part of life. You’ve got to be careful and watch yourself out there on the roads,” said D.J. Byers, who witnessed the fatal shooting after leaving work at around 6:30 a.m., according to NBC 5 DFW.
Byers recounted seeing a man exit his truck and approach another vehicle further up in the line of traffic.
“I heard a gunshot, a loud pop,” Byers said. “And then I saw someone on the ground.”
First responders were deployed to the scene, where a male victim was found shot in the upper torso. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
The alleged shooter remained on scene and has been cooperating with the Fort Worth Police Department’s investigation, currently characterized as a road rage shooting resulting in a homicide.
“Whoever shot the guy looked like he was standing there and called police himself, it looked like,” Byers suggested.
Roughly six hours later, at around 12:30 p.m., an unidentified FedEx driver was shot in the shoulder. The victim is currently hospitalized. The details surrounding the incident, as well as the suspected shooter, have not been released.
FedEx addressed the incident in a statement received by WFAA:
“The safety and security of our team members is always our top priority. We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate, and we are focused on the well-being of our team member,” FedEx said. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we ask you to direct additional questions to the investigating authorities.”
Despite the alarming day of roadway violence, Fort Worth police recently revealed several gains in its efforts to curb criminality through neighborhood policing, as reported in The Dallas Express. Both homicides and property thefts were trailing downward as of the third quarter report for 2023.
Compared to neighboring Dallas’ downtown area, downtown Fort Worth sees considerably less crime thanks to being patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit and private security guards.
The Dallas Police Department has been laboring under a significant staffing shortage, with only approximately 3,000 officers fielded despite a City report recommending a force of 4,000 officers to ensure public safety.
