Robbery suspect killed by Fort Worth officer identified

A robbery suspect fatally shot by a Fort Worth officer last week after charging the officer with a bat and screwdriver has been identified as Gilbert Reyna, 55.

Reyna died from a gunshot in the left chest, the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled.

Shortly before midnight Dec. 2, police responded to a robbery in progress at the the Gas Pipe Store, 6033 Camp Bowie Blvd., next to the Ridglea Theater.

Officials have said that uniformed officers confronted Reyna as he left the store and that he charged officer E. Gasca with a raised baseball bat in one hand and a screwdriver in the other.

Police Chief Jeff Halstead has said body and dash camera videos show that Gasca backed up more than 15 feet as Rayna closed in. Reyna had run to within 6 feet of the officer when Gasca fired a single shot to his chest “to stop the threat, exactly as we train,” Halstead said in a news release afterward.

Reyna was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. His name was not previously released as officials worked to reach his family members.

Major case Sgt. William Hix said Tuesday that Reyna caused some minor damage to merchandise inside the store but that nothing was ultimately taken during the reported robbery.

“Our response time from the first call to arrival on the scene was approximately three minutes so the officers’ quick arrival and presence likely contributed to thwarting an actual robbery or potential injury to the employee/victim inside the store,” Hix said in an email.

He said investigators are awaiting results of toxicology tests, which can typically take six to eight weeks, to determine whether Reyna was on drugs at the time of the shooting.

“We do have information that suggests a history of drug use that may have contributed to his behavior the night of this incident,” Hix said.

The medical examiner’s office lists no home address for Reyna.

Hix said investigators are trying to establish a timeline and purpose of Reyna’s presence in Fort Worth.

“Mr. Reyna’s last known established residence was in Arizona,” he said.

According to court records, Reyna has no criminal history in Tarrant County.

But Tuscon municipal court records say he was cited for criminal trespassing in August. A warrant was issued for his arrest the next month after he failed to appear in court, those records say.

Gasca joined the department in December 2013.

He remained on routine administrative leave Tuesday, said officer Natosha Tucker, a police spokeswoman.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Robbery suspect killed by Fort Worth officer identified."