An 18-year-old senior at Weatherford High School, Joseph Steven Padilla Jr., was fatally shot on October 6, 2024, near the Fort Worth Stockyards. The shooting happened around 3 a.m. in a parking lot on the 100 block of NW 24th Street; officers found Padilla deceased at the scene. Several other people were wounded and taken to hospitals with injuries they are expected to survive. Witnesses said a suspect fired into a crowd during the early morning hours.

Later the same day, 19-year-old Kevin Aguilar was arrested and charged with murder; he is in custody and homicide detectives are leading the investigation. The incident has raised safety concerns among community members and local business owners in the Stockyards entertainment district. Padilla’s family and classmates remember him as easygoing and funny, who enjoyed basketball, the outdoors, and time with loved ones.

If anyone was at the Stockyards that night or has information about the shooting, please share what was seen or heard with investigators.