Medical examiner’s office releases names of men fatally shot by officers in Fort Worth
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the names of two men who police have said were armed when law enforcement officers fatally shot them early Wednesday in northwest Fort Worth.
Bronshay Minter, 30, died at John Peter Smith Hospital of multiple gunshot wounds about an hour after he was shot, according to the medical examiner’s office. Billy Jaquan Smith, 21, died of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene.
A Fort Worth police officer and a fire department arson investigator shot Minter and Smith after the officers saw them involved in an altercation, authorities have said.
Another man and a woman were also found with gunshot wounds at the scene, a corner house on Ross Avenue, but it was not clear under what circumstances they were shot, Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said at a press conference Wednesday.
The officer and arson investigator were equipped with body-worn video cameras. Fort Worth police have not released recordings, which the department typically does within days after a shooting.
Minter’s mother, Shantelle Thoene, said in an interview with KXAS-TV that she expected to view the images.
“I want answers. I want to know what happened. I don’t want to hear rumors. I don’t want to hear what people had to say. I want to see a camera. I want to see a video. I want to see what happened,” Thoene said.
Minter, whose nickname was Bam, was a motorcycle stunt rider and tattoo artist who had a 13-year-old son, his family told KXAS. He was the type of person who would try to break up a fight, his mother said.
A witness, Anthony Wormley, told KTVT-TV that he and others performed CPR on Minter before paramedics arrived. Wormley also called on police to release the video. He said he did not hear any gunshots or notice any major problems until the officers started shooting and said that Minter was running away when he was shot.
“We were all out here having a nice time for Fourth of July,” Wormley told KXAS. “Towards the end of the night, there was a lot of shooting, from the police actually. The guys that got shot — they were not shooting at each other, they were friends, they were out here popping fireworks.”
The surviving people who were shot were near, but not at the exact location, of the men who died, Noakes said. They were taken to a hospital.
The officer and arson investigator, assigned to investigate illegal fireworks, were responding to an unrelated call when about 12:30 a.m. they drove through the intersection of Ross Avenue and NW 32nd Street and saw the altercation, Noakes said.
A Fourth of July block party was being held on the street at the time of the shooting.
Fort Worth District Eight Councilman Chris Nettles was having conversations with city staff to gather information about the shooting, a representative wrote in a statement Thursday.
“Councilman Nettles has received your calls and recognizes your concerns and will ensure that the City operates in full transparency,” the representative wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the two individuals who lost their lives and the other bystanders who were injured.”
