Fort Worth police release body cam video of officer fatally shooting carjacking suspect
Fort Worth police on Monday released body camera footage of an officer shooting a man who police say pointed a gun at him on Sunday afternoon.
The shooting happened on Race Street at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and the short video clip released Monday shows the officer yell at the man to drop the gun before shots are fired. Police said at Monday’s news conference that it’s believed the officer fired six shots and the suspect fired one.
Police Chief Neil Noakes said police received a call from witnesses about a man in the neighborhood trying to steal vehicles “using force.” A patrol officer found him in the 3600 block of Race Street, Noakes said.
The video shows the officer pull in front of the man, who was running on a sidewalk. As the officer gets out of the car, the officer can be heard yelling “put the gun down, put it down,” before six gunshots are fired.
In a version of the video that was slowed down, the man is seen twisting his body to the right as he runs off. His right hand extends up toward the officer and a black item is seen in his hand. Noakes said that item is a handgun.
Noakes stopped a part of the video that appeared to show a smoke blast coming out of the gun. He said that, along with evidence at the scene, has led investigators to believe the man fired one shot. He did not say what the other evidence is.
The suspect, a 31-year-old Black man, was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died. The Tarrant County medical examiner identified him as Ryan Williams.
Asked to define what stealing a car “using force” means, Noakes said that is the description two people who called 911 gave. Asked if the callers reported the man had a handgun, Noakes said, “No, no one reported that a handgun was seen during that interaction.”
Scott Ross, a neighbor, told the Star-Telegram that he and his wife saw the officer shoot at the man, but a fence in their line of sight prevented them from seeing what the man was doing when the officer shot at him.
Ross said he and his wife had just pulled into the driveway at about 1:30 p.m. when he heard tires screeching. He turned and saw a police car stop in front of the driveway, and the officer jumped out of the car while it was still moving.
He saw the officer jump out of the car and yell at someone that Ross couldn’t see.
Lori Ross said she was coming around the side of the car and she saw the officer take out his gun and shoot.
“I heard the sound of the car stopping first and that’s what alerted me to look,” she said. “We later learned there was a truck that he had carjacked. Somehow the officer stopped him or blocked him and the guy got out of the car and either confronted him or started running. He alerted him, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’”
The couple ran into the house. When Scott Ross came out a few minutes later, he saw the officer standing over the man, who was on the ground.
“The officer walked back to the car and I asked if he was OK,” Scott Ross said. “And he was pretty shaken.”
Noakes added that the officer, a four-year veteran of the department, is on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
“We want the community to know that we are absolutely committed to completing a thorough investigation of this critical police incident,” Noakes said. “This is the worst day for any officer. It’s not something any of us would ever want to encounter or ever have to be a part of.”
The major case and internal affairs units are handling the investigation.
This shooting is the first fatal Fort Worth police shooting since former Officer Aaron Dean shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson in her home in October 2019.
The most recent nonfatal Fort Worth police shooting was in July 2020, when a man who police described as suicidal pointed a gun at officers in a hotel room, according to police. The man survived.
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 2:18 PM.
