FORT WORTH, Texas — Authorities on Friday identified a 77-year-old Fort Worth woman killed when someone shot through her apartment's walls and window.
Ora Faye Griffin lived alone at The Aspen apartment complex on the city's eastern side. Fort Worth police have not yet said whether she was targeted in the shooting.
Someone called 911 to report gunshots at 4:40 a.m. June 28, officials said. Police did not arrive at the scene until more than an hour later.
Bullets flew through the woman's apartment, into her neighbor's pantry. That resident and another say they went next door to check on the woman.
When Griffin did not answer their knocks, the neighbors say they broke into the apartment and discovered the 77-year-old on the floor. The two say they tried to rescue Griffin, but it's not clear whether she had already died.
"She was really sweet," said Sebani Rusamira, who lives in the apartment complex. She recalled seeing the woman with her dog.
"That was just an old lady living her life," Rusamira continued. "Anybody who'd harm someone of that age - it's senseless, honestly."
Fort Worth police say they did not initially assign the report highest priority because the first 911 callers did not tell dispatchers someone might've been injured in the shooting. Sgt. Jason Spencer said all officers on-shift were already working other crimes, so no one checked on the scene until another 911 caller reported a victim at 5:49 a.m.
Police arrived eight minutes after that call, which escalated the report from priority two to priority one, Spencer said.
"I'm saddened and disappointed that it took them that long because that woman definitely deserved fast-acting first responders," Rusamira said.
Some neighbors say they shared security video with police. One resident told WFAA his camera caught a person getting out of a car to shoot at Griffin's apartment.
Police have not yet identified a suspect.