'Samuel did not deserve this': 16-year-old found shot to death at Fort Worth apartments
Memorial grows for 16-year-old shot, killed at Fort Worth apartments
Outside of the Stallion Pointe Apartments near Everman in Fort Worth, there’s a growing memorial for a boy who never had a chance to grow up.
DALLAS - Outside of the Stallion Pointe Apartments near Everman in Fort Worth, there’s a growing memorial for a boy who never had a chance to grow up.
What we know:
Samuel Navarrete, 16, was shot and killed at the apartment complex Wednesday evening.
‘I remember Samuel smiling all the time’
What they're saying:
Tanya White, a hall monitor at Everman High School, said she knew him as a young boy working toward his future and always hustling.
"I remember Samuel smiling, laughing all the time," White said. "Always trying to sell snacks, wearing his earbuds and stuff. That's how I remember Samuel smiling all the time."
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Dig deeper:
White said Navarrete had moved to another school program in the district and was working toward graduating on time.
But around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Fort Worth police found Navarrete shot in the driver’s seat of a vehicle at the Stallion Pointe Apartments. He died at the scene.
Detectives still piecing together what happened
What we don't know:
Homicide detectives are still trying to figure out what happened.
"That’s part of the investigation to figure out who may have been there with this individual, and that's what we're working on," said Buddy Calzada, public information officer for the Fort Worth Police Department.
The ‘what ifs’ haunt those who knew him
White said she hasn’t spoken to Navarrete’s family. She added that she hasn’t stopped thinking of the "what ifs" since the day of the shooting.
"I wish that day, if I'd have stepped out my door, how I believe that if I saw Samuel, I believe I could have helped him, and I feel like my timing was wrong," White said.
Big picture view:
While she’ll never know what could have been, she does know that she’ll always remember him as the boy who always greeted her with a smile.
"Long story short, Samuel did not deserve this," White said. "Nobody deserved this, and Samuel definitely did not deserve this."
What you can do:
Fort Worth police are asking anyone with information or surveillance video to come forward.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by Fox 4's Vania Castillo.