‘Don’t know what he’s going to do’: Fort Worth police release video, 911 call after shooting man
A 31-year-old man faces multiple charges after he shot at Fort Worth police officers during a Jan. 9 standoff, officials said.
The suspect, Cameron Leverett, was wounded by officers who returned fire. He remains in critical condition at a local hospital, police said at a news conference on Friday, Jan. 17.
The Jan. 9 shooting was just one of several recent incidents where Fort Worth police officers have faced potentially deadly threats from suspects, Chief Neil Noakes said at the news conference.
“Nobody wants to start 2025 like that,” Noakes said. “But I hope it is a reminder to all of us about the inherent dangers of this job, and the fact that officers never know what they’re going to face on any call.”
Officers responded to the 5600 block of Seafield Lane in northwest Fort Worth around 6:20 p.m. The department released audio of the 911 call and body-camera video from responding officers at the news conference.
The caller indicated her boyfriend had been drinking heavily, and was banging his head against the wall. He had a gun, she said, and he’d fired it outside the house several times.
“I don’t know what else to do,” the woman says, crying. “I came to the neighbor’s house because I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
When officers arrived at the scene, the woman told them that Leverett had been shooting his handgun, but he also had rifles inside the house.
The officers moved away from the house, and a short time later, a shot is heard.
“There it goes. He just shot a gun,” one of the officers says.
The officers held back and tried to contact Leverett, who was now at the front door. They announced themselves, and said they wanted to get help for him.
“He had a gun pointed at his head,” an officer says.
Another shot can be heard, and a short time later an officer says that Leverett is coming back out. At least eight shots are heard in quick succession, and somebody says that the suspect is down.
“Let me see your hands! Put your hands up,” an officer yells.
A handgun was recovered at the scene, according to police.
Officers and MedStar personnel rendered medical assistance to Leverett, and he was taken to a local hospital. He was shot between five to seven times, Noakes said. None of the officers were injured.
According to Noakes, officers are familiar with Leverett and have responded to the Seafield Lane address before. The most recent incident was a mental health crisis, which occurred about a week before the Jan. 9 shooting.
Leverett faces seven counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and one count of aggravated assault family violence, police said.
Leverett’s defense attorney, Christy Jack, said in an emailed statement, “This incident highlights a major issue in how police handle individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The Fort Worth Police Department employs a Crisis Intervention Team whose mission is to de-escalate and resolve these situations peacefully. Where were these professionals? This was the second time in two weeks that Cameron experienced a mental health breakdown. The first time, police handled it appropriately and took him to John Peter Smith Hospital. This time, he was met with a barrage of bullets and nearly lost his life.”
Noakes said the officers responded exactly as they should have. They gathered information first, they waited behind cover and they told the suspect they wanted to get him help, the chief said.
“But at some point they were faced with a deadly threat when the gentleman exited the residence and fired at my officers,” Noakes said. “At that point they did what they are trained to do and what I expect them to do — they protected themselves and everyone else in all the homes in this neighborhood.”
The Fort Worth Police Department hasn’t released the names of the three officers who exchanged gunfire with the suspect. According to Noakes, they have been with the department for eight years, three years and one month.
All three officers were placed on paid administrative leave, but have since returned to work, Noakes said. The investigation into the shooting is still in the preliminary stages.
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 12:21 PM.
