Lindsay Velasquez, a Fort Worth educator and mother of three, died after a shooting inside her home.

BENBROOK, Texas — A Fort Worth school district employee has been charged with manslaughter after police said his wife, an elementary school assistant principal, was fatally shot April 17 inside their Benbrook home.

Alberto Velasquez, 39, was arrested at the home he shared with 42-year-old Lindsay Velasquez after officers responded to a report that someone had been accidentally shot in the face. The case has drawn attention across the Fort Worth school community because both the accused man and the woman who died worked for the same district, and because police have released few details about how the gun was fired.

Benbrook police and fire personnel were called at about 7:26 p.m. to a residence in the 1000 block of Sproles Drive, a residential street southwest of Fort Worth. Officers arrived and found Lindsay Velasquez unconscious with an apparent gunshot wound. She was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the call first came in as an accidental shooting. Fort Worth ISD later said the incident happened away from any district campus and that there was no ongoing threat to students or staff.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Lindsay Grace Velasquez and listed her cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head. Officials have described the manner of death as homicide, a medical finding that means another person caused the death and does not by itself decide criminal intent. Benbrook police arrested Alberto Velasquez after an on-scene investigation. He was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on a manslaughter charge. Records cited by local outlets listed his bond at $35,000, and he was later released from custody.

Lindsay Velasquez was an assistant principal at Luella Merrett Elementary School in Fort Worth. A school biography said she was in her second year in that role and praised her work with families, teachers and students. The campus biography said she helped continue student recognition programs, including awards for outstanding students, perfect attendance and weekly Super Bee honors. The school described her as a leader with positive energy. Outside school, the biography said, she enjoyed spending time with her family and doing things around Fort Worth.

Fort Worth ISD confirmed that both Lindsay Velasquez and Alberto Velasquez were district employees. The district said in a statement that it was aware of a tragic off-campus incident involving two employees. “This situation did not occur on a Fort Worth ISD campus, and there is no ongoing threat to students or staff,” the district said. The district also said counselors and support staff were being made available to students and employees at affected campuses. Alberto Velasquez has been described in local reports as certified to teach middle and high school social studies.

The manslaughter charge places the case in a legal category that centers on recklessness under Texas law. State law says a person commits manslaughter if the person recklessly causes the death of another person. Manslaughter is generally a second-degree felony in Texas. A conviction can carry a prison term of two to 20 years and a fine of up to $10,000. Prosecutors would still have to prove the charge in court, and Alberto Velasquez is presumed innocent unless convicted. Police have not publicly said whether any additional charges are under review.

Key questions remain unanswered. Police have not released a detailed account of what happened in the moments before the gunfire. Officials have not publicly said what type of gun was involved, where it was found, who called 911 or whether the couple’s three children were home. Authorities also have not released a full probable cause affidavit in public reports. The limited information has left the public timeline focused on the emergency call, the response on Sproles Drive, the hospital transport, the medical examiner’s ruling and the arrest that followed.

The shooting also left Luella Merrett Elementary facing the sudden death of a campus leader during the school year. Lindsay Velasquez’s family described her through a fundraiser as a mother, sister and friend whose love carried no conditions. “If you were loved by Lindsay, you were loved forever and without judgment or qualifications,” the family wrote. An obituary said she had worked in education before becoming an administrator, including teaching English at Carter-Riverside High School and Stripling Middle School. It said she was known for patience, encouragement and a gift for connecting with students.

Alberto Velasquez’s release on bond moved the case from the initial jail stage toward the slower court process. A bond release does not end a criminal case. It allows a defendant to remain out of jail while the charge moves forward, subject to court rules and any conditions set by a judge. Public reports did not list a next court date. Prosecutors may review police reports, forensic evidence, witness statements, call records and any available statements before deciding how to present the case in court.

The case began with a report of an accident, but the charge now before the courts alleges criminal responsibility for a death. That gap between the first call and the later arrest is now central to the public record. Investigators will have to explain what evidence led them to treat the shooting as manslaughter. Defense lawyers may press the same question from the other side, focusing on whether the state can prove reckless conduct beyond a reasonable doubt.

For Fort Worth ISD, the public response has stayed focused on grief and campus support. The district did not frame the shooting as a school safety threat, but as an off-campus tragedy involving employees. At Luella Merrett, Lindsay Velasquez had been tied to day-to-day student life through attendance awards, weekly recognition and family contact. Her death reached beyond one house in Benbrook into classrooms, staff rooms and the families who knew her through the school.

The investigation remains open, and no public report has settled what happened before the gunfire. Alberto Velasquez has been charged with manslaughter, Lindsay Velasquez has been mourned by family and colleagues, and the next major milestone will come when the case returns to a Tarrant County courtroom.

Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.