Family of Comofest mass shooting victims speaks out – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The City of Fort Worth is celebrating the Como neighborhood for being named as having the best community revitalization effort in the country by the group Neighborhoods USA.

City leaders also recognized the upcoming Comofest celebration which will take place during the July 4 holiday.

The honors come less than a year after a mass shooting took place near the event site in the hours after Comofest 2023, leaving three people dead and eight others injured.

The family of one of those victims told NBC 5 they believe this year's celebrations need to implement changes for people's safety.

Como neighborhood leaders consider the area a special place.

“It’s the people,” said Michael Lockhart of Legacy Lake Como. “Since we’re on a square mile, everyone’s close, you know everyone’s family.”

One such effort is Comofest, an annual Independence Day celebration that began in 2021.

“The reason Comofest was created was to give the community an alternative to the events of July 3, the violence and everything else,” Lockhart said.

After Comofest 2023, hundreds of people lingered in the area, particularly along nearby Horne Street.

Fort Worth police said two men opened fire on the crowd, killing three people and wounding eight others.

Cynthia Santos, 22, was killed by a stray bullet during the mass shooting.

Friends and family said Santos was enjoying the celebration when a fight broke out, followed by gunfire.

“I remember I lost contact with her while we were running, and when I looked back to find her, I found her on the ground,” said Gabriel Gonzalez, a friend of Santos. “An image I cannot forget to this day.”

Santos' family and friends said they believe changes need to be made at Comofest this year for the safety of the community.

They said the day's events were family-friendly and the neighborhood felt safe with police and security services.

But after sunset, at the end of the festival, they said the crowds could disperse into the streets.

“At night it’s not good, they shouldn’t even be allowed to do that,” said Tania Torres, a cousin of Santos. “It’s out of control and it’s not right.”

NBC 5 raised these concerns with Comofest organizers.

They told us there was never any violence at the event and that they believe Comofest is positive for their community, with safety measures in place for scheduled events.

“We had no problem putting on Comofest for three years,” Lockhart said. “Violence and chaos always occur after the end of Comofest. »

This year's Comofest will take place on July 3. NBC 5 reached out to the Fort Worth Police Department to ask if they plan to increase security in the area after the festival.

“We are working with the community and stakeholders to help provide a safe environment for everyone who comes to Como for events,” a Fort Worth police spokesperson said. “We will increase staff, but we are certainly not there to over-monitor the event.”