Tarrant deputy shot at Fort Worth credit union expected to recover; suspect in custody

A Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy was shot Monday afternoon at the Fort Worth Community Credit Union on Brentwood Stair Road and rushed to a hospital, where he underwent surgery. A suspect was taken into custody around two hours later at a house about half a mile from the bank.

Sheriff Bill Waybourn identified the deputy as 35-year-old Brent Brown, who has worked for the sheriff’s office since 2011. Waybourn told reporters outside John Peter Smith Hospital that Brown was in good condition on Monday night and is expected to survive.

“We’re very optimistic that he’ll have a good recovery,” Waybourn said.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the deputy was shot while working an off-duty security job at the credit union. According to Waybourn, Brown was in a gunfight with the suspect who shot him twice, in the upper chest and lower abdomen. Brown returned fire but did not wound the suspect.

“Brent stood his ground,” Waybourn said. “He did his duty, and the nobility of what he did today is what law enforcement expects out of all of our officers and he did it well.”

Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare first announced on X about 5:30 p.m. that the suspect was taken into custody. He and other county officials offered prayers.

“We ask for prayers for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and especially this deputy,” spokesman Robbie Hoy said at a news conference Monday evening. “This is just a tragic situation and we’re praying for a good outcome.”

“We are praying for a @tarrantcountyso Sheriff’s Deputy who’s been shot and transported to the hospital,” Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez wrote on X.

No other injuries were reported in the incident.

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Dozens of police vehicles responded to the credit union at 6454 Brentwood Stair Road when the 911 call came in shortly after 3:40 p.m., and a Star-Telegram reporter saw multiple law enforcement vehicles and a MedStar ambulance rushing away from the scene, transporting the injured officer to JPS. Numerous deputies parked at the ambulance entrance to the hospital and went inside.

Witnesses say it appears the credit union was robbed at the time of the shooting. One witness said she thought she saw the suspect leave the scene.

Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said the department’s Major Case Unit is investigating. He said the investigation is in its early stages and that he could not confirm what happened leading up to the shooting or whether it happened inside or outside the bank.

According to neighbors and reports on the police scanner, the suspect was barricaded in a house in the area before being taken into custody.

Noakes confirmed the arrest but said information about the circumstances and the suspect’s identity would be released later.

Noakes said police used witness interviews and video camera footage from the credit union to identify the suspect and locate him. He did not elaborate on what methods were used to find the suspect after investigators were able to identify him.

Neighbors in the 1800 block of Lynnwood Hills Drive in east Fort Worth said at least 50 officers, most of them with tactical gear, descended on the neighborhood en masse shortly after 4 p.m.

The roads through the area were blocked off and two residents told the Star-Telegram they were ordered back into their homes when they tried to step outside and see what was going on.

None of the residents reported hearing gunshots or explosions at any point during the standoff and arrest.

Jerald Myers said he watched SWAT team officers stack up and then move together, several with ballistic shields, around the corner on the street and toward the house where the suspect was. He and other residents also said they saw multiple helicopters and at least two police drones.

It’s unclear whether the suspect lived in the house where the arrest was made.

Police blocked off access to the area around the credit union Monday afternoon. A law enforcement helicopter was circling the area, and police appeared to be searching along a nearby highway.

A glass door at the business was shattered, and investigators placed evidence markers in the parking lot. Officers also walked a dog through the area.

The FBI was also on the scene and is assisting with the investigation.

Officers arrived at the credit union within a minute of the first 911 call and provided first aid to Brown, Noakes said.

The deputy was working security in full uniform, Noakes said at a news conference about 6 p.m. outside the credit union. It’s unclear whether he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Noakes said he had spoken to Waybourn and, “He’s right where he needs to be, he’s with his deputy at the hospital.” The police chief later joined the sheriff at the hospital.

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