Renewed calls for tackling violence along Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth after child shot while playing outside

FORT WORTH, Texas — Rev. Sela Finau is fairly new to Fort Worth. It’s the largest city she’s ever lived in as a pastor. She’s really never had to be concerned about her personal safety as a member of the clergy.

“Who doesn’t want a safe neighborhood?” said Finau. “Who doesn’t want other things and a safe space for their children and for their families? So, we were just trying to partner up with the various organizations that are already here in the community to work and provide a better and a quality of life for the families in the neighborhood.”

Although Finau is still learning the Las Vegas Trail area where she took over as pastor at Western Hills United Methodist Church seven months ago, she’s become familiar with what she’s heard about it. 

Nevertheless, Finau remains steadfast on her work as a church leader.  

Her ministry and the impact it has on the community far outweighs anything else, especially since she strongly believes her assignment is God-sent, despite her early-on close call with danger.

Said Finau: “I did have to call law enforcement within my first 30 days here in the neighborhood because I heard shootings outside of the parsonage where where I live.”

One of the most recent police runs involves gunfire at the Villas at Sierra Vista apartments on Las Vegas Trail. A boy told police he heard gunfire while playing outside and then realized a bullet had struck him in the calf. The family rushed him to the hospital where emergency room personnel treated him for the non-life-threatening injury. 

It’s the second shooting in a week. 

According to Fort Worth police, from Feb. 1, 2022, to February 2023, the department has had 661 police responses to the Las Vegas Trail area. Forty-one of those involved aggravated assaults, and two of those cases were murder investigations.

There are nonprofit organizations like Las Vegas Trail Rise working to improve the quality of life in the area.  

The executive director of Las Vegas Trail Rise, Paige Charbonnet, shared a statement about Sunday’s shooting: “Our community is heartbroken over the events of this weekend as an innocent child was caught in the crossfire. We will be here to help him, and his family move forward through this trauma.”

Finau believes their work in the Las Vegas Trail community can help improve life there, too. In fact, she considers it part of their Christian duty.  

Western HIlls UMC has helped families and individuals through its food pantry for years. 

“Our mission as a church is to help them and to remind them that they are worthy, and that God loves them and that we are here as a church to help them through whatever circumstances that they are experiencing in life. Because struggling and many things that we go through in life comes to each person and individual souls in a season,” said Finau.

“I believe that the church is here for a purpose, and that is no matter who is surrounding the church, whoever is here in the neighborhood.”

Fort Worth police are using Project Safe Neighborhoods grants to tackle crime along the Las Vegas Trail corridor, with hopes of also reducing the number of future police responses.