Fort Worth detectives are investigating a shooting that occurred outside Hulen Mall on Sunday.
Police were called to the scene of an apparent shootout at 4800 S Hulen St. shortly before 2 p.m. on January 14. A bystander was grazed by one of several bullets exchanged between as many as three armed suspects as they exited the shopping mall.
The victim, whose name and age have not been released, was hospitalized for a minor head wound.
While no further information has been provided at this time, the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) is trying to identify the shooters.
Just last fall, the department held an active shooter drill at Hulen Mall to help train officers to appropriately respond to such a scenario, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. There was also a bomb threat there last summer that later proved to be a hoax.
“Every situation, every call is different,” FWPD spokesperson Officer Jimmy Pollozani told WFAA at the time of the training session. “So for us to prepare ourselves mentally and physically, we will be that much better to be able to effectively do our job and to make sure that we have a safe city.”
Despite starting the new year with a number of criminal incidents, FWPD posted downward trends in homicides and property theft in 2023, as reported by The Dallas Express. The department credited the trends to its holistic approach to crime, which involves police and community stakeholders.
Meanwhile, data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard showed that nearby Dallas saw a spike in both murders (15%) and auto thefts (40.5%) in 2023 amid a crippling officer shortage at the Dallas Police Department. The overwhelming majority of murder victims were black and Hispanic individuals.
DPD fields roughly 3,000 officers despite a City report citing the need for 4,000 to ensure public safety. Budgeting only $654 million for DPD this year, City officials will be spending much less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
In comparative studies on Downtown Dallas and Fort Worth’s city center, the former consistently logs as many as seven times more crime reports. The latter is patrolled by a specialized neighborhood police unit working alongside private security guards.
