HALTOM CITY, Texas — An arrest has been made after a 4-year-old girl was shot in what appeared to be a drive-by shooting in Haltom City, officials said.
On Thursday morning, Haltom City Police said officers arrested Jesus Vela-Alferez, 46. He has since been charged with four counts of deadly conduct and one count of injury to a child, both felonies.
The shooting happened Wednesday, Feb. 16, just after 3 p.m., in the 3500 block of Eastridge Drive.
According to the Haltom City Police Department, officers were called to the area after getting reports of gunfire. When they got there, they found that several homes and cars had been hit by gunfire.
Police said a girl who was inside one of the homes was hit and was taken to a local hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Family of the girl told WFAA that the girl, who is 4 years old, was playing in the front of the home when the shooting happened. She was hit in the leg, but is expected to be OK, they said.
The girl's dad said he's lived in the neighborhood for several years and hasn't had any problems. He said he believes his house was targeted, but he didn't know why. He didn't want to give his name because he said he is scared whoever left the multiple bullet holes - nearly a dozen, but his count - in the front of the house may come back.
In the update announcing Vela-Alferez's arrest, police said that the girl's father and Vela-Alferez both new each other from a previous business relationship. At this time, police believe the shooting was in connection to a dispute over that business.
While police have made an arrest, they added that more could be coming. They asked anyone with additional information on the shooting to contact police at 817-222-7000.
For a daily roundup of the latest news from around North Texas and beyond, sign up for the WFAA email newsletter.