On this Saturday I was in my home office trying to finish up some odds and ends while one of my grandkids watched T.V. in the living room. Periodically, I would check in on him and his brother in the guest room, doing the same. Suddenly there was a loud bang followed by several others coming to the West of my office window. My grandson came running from the front room. “What was that?” he asked.

By Robert Smith

I looked out at the far corner of our block and spotted that the garage door was open. “Must be the neighbors working on some project in his garage,” I said. Pero then a little later I heard sirens and some of my neighbors standing in their yards talking in what seemed to be an exaggerated manner.

By this time, I was nearing the end of my workday and I decided to at least peek out my door. I saw the neighbor next to the corner house going to the corner house and I overheard his wife say, “Tell her to come over if she is scared”. That caught my attention. I hoped nobody was hurt. But still, I kept my distance, because I never want to be thought of as, ‘The nosey neighbor’.

By this time, I could see more emergency vehicles arriving and the block next to the house on the corner was blocked off. Soon after the yellow crime scene tape came out. I thought something bad must have happened. I was assuming a terrible wreck or some other freak accident. I walked to the corner and tried to see what all the commotion was about, and all I could see was a black pickup truck with broken windows. As I was walking back, I spotted the neighbor I referenced earlier. I finally asked, “Hey do you know what happened?”

His response was not what I was expecting to hear. Two people were shot he said, and I was going to help them, but they were gone (dead) He said that they looked young, very young. My first thought was poor kids and wondered about their families. I then thought about the people that lived in the corner and how they had just bought the house maybe two months ago. I wanted to tell her that this was not something that happens here. In the over fifteen years that I have lived in the neighborhood, nothing like this has happened. This has always been a safe neighborhood where I have seen kids as toddlers who then grew up and moved on. And now some new young families have moved in and you can see signs to warn drivers to Caution as Kids at play. All this to underscore the point that all of us have always considered this neighborhood as safe.

As I write this, five days have passed and according to the police department, the few details available are still as follows;

Watauga Police Department

PRESS RELEASE

On Saturday, March 12, 2022, at approximately 2:00 pm, Watauga Police responded to multiple calls of shots fired in 5400 Caribou Ridge. When officers arrived on the scene, they located two males deceased from apparent gunshot wounds in a vehicle. The males are believed to be approximately 17 years old and have not been positively identified at this time. If you have any information on this incident, please contact Detective Sergeant D. Letart at 817-514-5787.

There is no further information to be released on this ongoing investigation. Any future information to be released will be via the Watauga Police Department Facebook Page.

I encourage anyone that reads this article to contact the Watauga Police Department officer listed if you have any information or know someone that might. No one is safe as long as there is a murder (s) on the loose. (To the family our deepest condolences and prayers for your loss) And please contact us if you would like to share anything about your loss.

Update 3/18 evening: Police have now released the photo of the person who is allegedly responsible for the two murders