Fort Worth police ID bike officer involved in fatal downtown shooting

A bike officer who fatally shot a man outside a downtown restaurant and bar early Friday was identified Tuesday by the police department as Officer M.J. Ochsendorf.

Police officials reiterated Tuesday they are continuing to seek witnesses to the shooting outside the Ojos Locos at the corner of West Fifth and Houston streets, calling collected video of the incident “poor quality.”

“As differing accounts regarding this shooting have surfaced, and in order to present a complete and accurate account of what has occurred, the Fort Worth Police Department is requesting that any person who may be a witness or have any information about this incident to come forward and meet with detectives investigating this case,” a release from police says.

Family members said Phillip Vallejo of Kennedale was celebrating his 30th birthday at Ojos Locos Thursday night into Friday morning when he was shot and killed by police.

Ochsendorf remained on routine administrative leave Tuesday, according to Sgt. Steven Enright, a police spokesman.

Police have said the bike officer, a 23-year department veteran, fired at Vallejo after he disregarded commands to drop a gun and instead turned toward officers as they investigated an altercation outside the bar.

The department had previously not released the officer’s name, saying threats had been received.

A lawyer for Vallejo’s family, David Cantu, has said witnesses told him Vallejo had his back to the bicycle officer when he was shot. Cantu did not respond to requests to identify the witnesses.

Police officials have said there are several accounts circulating on social media “that are not supported by available video and physical evidence collected by police.”

The department has declined to release the video of the incident, citing the pending investigation.

The case will be forwarded to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office after the police department’s major case unit finishes an investigation. A grand jury will determine whether any charges are brought.

The major case investigation “takes a substantial length of time in order to be precise while protecting the rights of both the citizens as well as the officers involved in this incident,” the department explained in the news release Tuesday.

Internal affairs is also investigating to determine whether all policies and procedures were followed.

“It is not the wish of the Fort Worth Police Department to appear anything but transparent during the investigation of any incident; however, certain facts or procedures are not readily accessible to the general public,” the release states. “This assures that a fair and impartial decision can be rendered by the grand jury regarding the officer-involved shooting.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Fort Worth police ID bike officer involved in fatal downtown shooting."