Shots fired at Fort Worth police officer during investigative stop; suspect arrested
A Fort Worth police officer has been discharged from the hospital after he was shot at during an investigative traffic stop Sunday night, police said at a news conference.
The officer was not hit by any bullets but was injured by glass debris, according to police.
The officer was following a suspect connected to a Saturday night shooting when the suspect stopped before the officer could call for backup. The suspect got out of his car with his hands up, but when the officer began moving to take him into custody, he opened fire at the officer, police said.
Police said the officer returned fire and may have hit the suspect once. The suspect fled and the officer, thinking he’d been shot, pursued until his vehicle broke down because of damage from the gunfire.
The shooting occurred near Miller Avenue and Berry Street, in east Fort Worth, around 8:20 p.m., according to a police call log.
The suspect continued to flee until he was arrested in a neighboring city, according to police. Fort Worth police have not said in which city he was arrested or released the suspect’s identity.
“We had a coward try to take out one of my officers tonight,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said at the news conference. “He pulled a gun as the officer was getting out and shot at him multiple times, forcing my officer to protect his own life and all the residents around here.”
Noakes said the officer’s decision to pursue the suspect even when he thought he’d been shot is an example of how Fort Worth police put their lives on the line to protect their communities.
“Even though he thought he’d been shot he continued to go after this person,” Noakes said. “These are the kind of people in the Fort Worth Police Department that go out and serve every day and every night.”
Noakes asked for prayers for the officer and his family, saying that while he is physically OK, he and his family are shaken up.
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