DALLAS — A string of deadly mass shootings throughout the U.S. marred the long July 4 holiday.
On Sunday, 30 people were shot, two fatally, in Baltimore at a block party. A day later, five people were killed and two children were injured in Philadelphia.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, three people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting during Fourth of July festivities. And nine people were shot and injured early Wednesday following celebrations in Washington D.C.
And back closer to home for Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, three people were killed and eight were injured after a festival in the historic Fort Worth neighborhood of Como.
"We feel the city of Fort Worth's pain. We understand what that is because we have lived through it as well," Garcia said.
Garcia, who is also president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, was reminded of a mass shooting in his city just over a year ago during a concert and trail ride event.
In May 2022, the shooting left one man dead and 16 others, including three children, injured in the southern area of Dallas.
"Gun crime is an epidemic. Not just in the [DFW] metroplex but in the country and we have to continue to stay the course and let our communities know we are never leaving and continue to do what we do," Garcia told WFAA.
"We see these events and these mass shootings that occur, and I think I just read this morning there were 18 mass shootings nationally in the last five days," the police chief continued. "And we deal with those and those are obviously tragic. But we have shootings that occur every day that don’t get the national attention. Those are victims and families that are affected as well."
Garcia said police departments such as Fort Worth should continue sticking to their plans for reducing crime. Earlier this year, Fort Worth PD unveiled a plan that includes using flock cameras to monitor crime activity, targeting high-crime areas and working with community leaders to address residents' concerns.
"There are ways to mitigate those types of events," Garcia said speaking about mass shooting events. "Unfortunately, sometimes you can't prevent them 100%, but you can hope to mitigate a lot of the factors."
"Our hearts go out to the community of Fort Worth to the men and women of the Fort Worth Police Department," he said. "I'm good friends with [Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes] and I know he has a plan in place."