Police say two suspects fled on foot after the pre-dawn shooting outside the Sun Valley Motel on Jacksboro Highway.
FORT WORTH, TX — A woman died early Friday after she and a friend confronted people believed to be in a stolen car outside a Fort Worth motel, according to police. Officers were called to the Sun Valley Motel in the 1800 block of Jacksboro Highway around 5:20 a.m., where they found the woman shot in the abdomen; she was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
Police said the woman had accompanied a man who was trying to find his stolen vehicle, which he tracked to the motel. Investigators believe the theft had not been reported before the pair went to recover the car. The case is now a homicide investigation led by Fort Worth detectives. Officials said two people associated with the vehicle ran from the scene after the shooting. Authorities described the incident as isolated, with no ongoing threat to the public, and said the Tarrant County Medical Examiner will release the victim’s name after family notification.
Officers responded within minutes of the 5:20 a.m. call and found the victim in the motel’s parking area northwest of downtown. The man who owned the stolen car remained with officers and spoke with investigators at the scene, according to police. Detective teams canvassed nearby rooms and businesses along Jacksboro Highway for surveillance footage that might show the moments before gunfire. “When officers arrived, they located an adult female that had been shot one time,” Officer Brad Perez said in a briefing. “She was transported to a local hospital, and unfortunately, she did not survive her injuries,” Perez said.
As daylight grew, crime scene tape ringed the older, single-story inn while investigators photographed vehicles and marked shell casings. Police said the confrontation began as the pair approached the suspected stolen car in the lot, and an argument escalated to a single shot that struck the woman. Detectives believe two people who had been inside the car ran away on foot immediately afterward. Officers collected statements from motel workers and guests and reviewed exterior cameras that face the parking lot and Jacksboro Highway. The specific make and model of the stolen car, and whether any weapon was recovered, were not released. Investigators said they were also gathering video from nearby intersections for a possible escape route.
Authorities said they are working to confirm whether the same vehicle might have been connected to a separate drive-by report earlier Friday. Police emphasized that link remains unproven and under review. Investigators said they will look at license plate readers in the area, any tracking technology used by the vehicle’s owner, and electronic evidence from phones seized with consent or warrant. Detectives also plan to compare caliber and casing details to any ballistic evidence from other incidents reported before dawn. As of Monday afternoon, police had not announced arrests, suspect names, or a motive beyond the suspected vehicle theft.
The motel sits on a commercial stretch close to the Trinity River and a cluster of auto shops and small storefronts. Guests described being awakened by raised voices, a sharp crack and then sirens. One man who checked in overnight said he peered through a window and saw officers rendering aid as patrol cars blocked the lot’s main entrance. A clerk who arrived for a morning shift said the parking area is often busy with traffic before sunrise as workers leave for jobs along Jacksboro Highway. None of the witnesses interviewed by reporters said they could clearly identify the shooters. The building’s exterior cameras, mounted above the office and near the street, appeared aimed toward the lot and the westbound lanes.
Police said homicide detectives will continue interviews and search for additional video while they await results from the medical examiner and the crime lab. The medical examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death and will release the woman’s identity once next of kin are notified. Investigators were expected to update the case when key steps are complete, including confirming the car’s recovery status, tracing its movements in the hours before the shooting and determining whether the suspected thieves had help. Officials did not provide a timeline for a news briefing but said further information would come as evidence is processed this week.
Neighbors and drivers who passed the scene midmorning described a heavy police presence and a quiet stretch afterward once the lot reopened. “It was all lights and tape when I went by on my way to work,” said Jose Martinez, who drives Jacksboro Highway daily and stopped nearby for coffee. A woman staying at the motel said guests were told to use a side entrance while detectives finished work. By late morning, most markers were gone, though a small stain and chalk outlines remained near a row of parking spaces along the front rooms. The motel’s management declined to comment beyond saying they were cooperating with police.
As of Tuesday, police were still asking anyone with information to contact detectives. The case remains classified as a homicide with two unidentified suspects reported to have fled on foot from the Sun Valley Motel shortly after 5:20 a.m. Friday. The next expected update is the release of the victim’s name by the county medical examiner once family members are notified.
Author note: Last updated December 16, 2025.