Jury finds man guilty of murder in shooting during brawl at west Fort Worth bar

A jury in Tarrant County found a man guilty of murder in a 2022 shooting at a bar in west Fort Worth.

At the end of his trial last week, 25-year-old Francis Sparks was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday.

Sparks, who was known to be a gang member, fired 14 shots during a fight at the Westside Saloon, 3137 Alta Mere Drive, on August 4, 2022, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.

A bullet hit the victim, 28-year-old Tommy Freney III, in the head.

According to the Tarrant County Coroner, Freney was found dead in a parking lot outside the bar. Fort Worth police were investigating the murder.

In a 2022 GoFundMe campaign, Carla Ray Cooks, Freney's mother, wrote that her son was born in Wichita Falls and grew up in south Fort Worth.

“He was 6'4″, incredible, loving, caring, kind and a father of two boys and two girls with another girl on the way,” Cooks wrote. “Tommy was the brother of six sisters, from both his mother's and father's side of the family. Tommy was a happy person who loved to travel, from California to Atlanta, Houston, etc. … he was a giver, an incredible supporter. He knew how to light up a dark room, he was your best friend, a protector.”

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