FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth police say there is no indication three shootings which happened in proximity to each other this week are connected, Deputy Chief Dave Carabajal said Thursday.
A 12-year-old died in the first shooting Monday night. Fort Worth Police Department's gang unit is investigating a Tuesday shooting, which was not fatal. Wednesday's shooting at the Handley Oaks apartment complex left one person dead and three injured.
Police have not made arrests in any of these cases.
Compared to the same date last year, homicides in Fort Worth are down 18% and non-fatal shootings are down 25%.
But department leaders acknowledge officers will likely become busier as temperatures soar. Crime spikes in the summer almost everywhere, including Fort Worth.
Still, police reject the idea of a so-called "summer crime trend."
"There's no single explanation and that's definitely not the way we approach it," Carabajal said. "It'd be irresponsible to see it as a general rise. We have to find out exactly what's causing the problem so we can address it effectively."
The deputy chief said that means Fort Worth police officers spend more time examining individual cases looking for individual explanations, rather than identifying apparent trends.
The department's overall approach is different from Dallas police. Officers there compile data to find problem areas where they think they can prevent crime.
Carabajal said he respects that approach, but that that's "not really our formula."
"Here in Fort Worth, we really try to drill down to the person or small group of people - wherever they are," he said. "It's less of a hotspot or a dot on the map and more about who is causing the problem and why."
Carabajal touted the department's investment in new technology, including license-plate readers and cameras, which allow investigators to gather more information after a crime.
Fort Worth police will not yet increase patrols on the city's east side, Carabajal said.
But officers will work more overtime in the summer to keep up with increased demand for help.