Fort Worth police fatally shoot person they say was trying to steal cars on Race Street

Fort Worth police shot a person who police say pointed a gun at an officer Sunday afternoon, the department said.

The shooting happened on Race Street at about 1:30 p.m. Police gave more details on the shooting at a press conference at 7:30 p.m.

Police Chief Neil Noakes said someone was trying to steal cars in the neighborhood with force. Witnesses came out to help the victim of a carjacking and the suspect fled on foot. Police were dispatched to the area. A patrol officer found the suspect in the 3600 block of Race Street, he said.

The person pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer, Noakes said. The officer gave him verbal commands to stop and drop the gun, but the person did not, he said. The officer shot the person. Neighbors said they heard five to six shots.

The person was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died.

“The Fort Worth police department is committed to a complete and through investigation into this critical police incident,” Noakes said.

Scott Ross, a neighbor, said he and his wife saw the officer shoot at the person, who they said was a man, but a fence in their line of sight prevented them from seeing what the man was doing when the officer shot at him.

Ross said he and his wife had just pulled into the driveway at about 1:30 p.m. when he heard the screeching of tires. He turned and saw a police car stop in front of the driveway, and the officer jumped out of the car while it was still moving.

“When I saw him jump out of the car, I heard him say, ‘Stop, stop, stop,’ to someone out of my line of sight,” Scott Ross said. “They were in the driveway next door, that’s where the person was.”

Lori Ross said she was coming around the side of the car and she saw the officer take out his gun and shoot.

“I heard the sound of the car stopping first and that’s what alerted me to look,” she said. “We later learned there was a truck that he had carjacked. Somehow the officer stopped him or blocked him and the guy got out of the car and either confronted him or started running. He alerted him, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’”

The couple ran into the house. When Scott Ross came out a few minutes later, he saw the officer standing over the man, who was on the ground.

“The officer walked back to the car and I asked if he was OK,” Scott Ross said. “And he was pretty shaken.”

The couple was stuck inside the house throughout the day as dozens of police cars and officers blocked the street.

Noakes said the department will review the body cam footage and determine in the next 24 to 48 hours if it will be released to the public. The officer will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation per policy, he said.

Major case and internal affairs is handling the investigation.

This shooting is the first fatal Fort Worth police shooting since former Officer Aaron Dean shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson in her home in October 2019.

The most recent nonfatal Fort Worth police shooting was in July 2020, when a man that police described as suicidal pointed a gun at officers in a hotel room, according to police. The man survived.