City worker swung stick at 'angry' man near church. Then out came a gun, warrant says

A Fort Worth city worker confronted an "angry" man near Gospel Tabernacle Church on the Near East Side on March 11 and swung a stick at him before shooting him, according to a warrant.

Once the victim was on the ground, 60-year-old Daniel Earl Hammack approached and shot him a second time, killing him, the warrant states.

The shooting occurred as Hammack's wife and mother stood nearby, according to the arrest warrant.

Hammack, who records shows lives about a block from where the shooting occurred, was arrested soon afterward while sitting on a curb near the body of 36-year-old Jason Knight of Fort Worth.

Hammack has been charged with murder and is out of jail after posting $100,000 bail. Hammack is a Fort Worth Water Department surveyor and is on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the city's investigation.

Hammack's attorney, Phillip Hall of Fort Worth, has said the shooting appeared to be a case of self-defense. He declined to make any additional comments on Monday.

The warrant gave this account:

On the afternoon of March 11, Hammack, his wife and his mother, Angelyn Hammack, had just locked the doors to the church in the 1500 block of Stella Street where Angelyn Hammack is a secretary.

They were walking to Angelyn Hammack's car when Daniel Hammack said, "That's him," pointing out Knight, who was walking on the other side of the street.

Angelyn Hammack told police Knight turned and walked toward Daniel Hammack and his wife in an aggressive manner "looking angry and grimacing." Knight had something, but she did not know what it was.

Witnesses who were driving by at the time told police they saw Hammack and Knight talking. Hammack had a large stick in his left hand and Knight kept his right hand in his pocket. Knight was making gestures with his hands, but not in a threatening manner, according to the warrant.

Angelyn Hammack noted that her son told Knight to "get back."

At some point, Hammack swung the stick at Knight. Witnesses could not tell police what happened to cause Hammack to swing. The warrant does not note Knight as having a weapon.

Hammack dropped the stick, pulled out a handgun and fired at Knight, the warrant states. Knight fell to the ground and Hammack approached Knight and shot him again while he was on the ground.

Hammack then picked up the stick and tossed it toward the church near some bushes, the warrant states.

Witnesses told police they heard Hammack saying, "He wouldn't stop. He wouldn't stop."

The incident happened about 1:30 p.m. Police found Knight's body in the middle of the street. He died from gunshot wounds to his body and his death was ruled a homicide by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office.

When questioned, Hammack and his wife declined to make any statements to detectives without their attorneys.

A witness said he recognized Knight as a person from the neighborhood.

Knight has a criminal history in Tarrant County. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail in 2015 for resisting arrest and he spent five years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2000, both cases in Fort Worth, according to Tarrant County criminal court records.

In the assault charge, Knight broke into a Fort Worth home and shot a resident, records state.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 11:14 AM with the headline "City worker swung stick at 'angry' man near church. Then out came a gun, warrant says."