Chief fires Fort Worth police officer who department says shoved man unnecessarily in 2019

Fort Worth Police Department Chief Neil Noakes on Monday fired a patrol officer who the department said in 2019 shoved a man unnecessarily several times and used profane language toward him.

Officer Clayton Ryan assaulted the man during an on-duty encounter on a disturbance call, according to a police department news release. Ryan, who had been employed by the department since August 2016, was terminated after an administrative assault and official oppression investigation.

In announcing the firing, the department did not say when it received a personnel complaint in the case. The Internal Affairs Unit began an administrative investigation into the Sept. 28, 2019, allegations upon receiving such a complaint, the department said.

Noakes agreed with Ryan’s chain of command, which determined that Ryan violated multiple department policies.

“The Fort Worth Police Department is filled with officers who do the job right every day. In this case, Officer Ryan did not conduct himself in a manner that represents the professionalism of law enforcement,” the department wrote in the firing announcement.