‘Absolutely tragic' Fort Worth police release body camera video after suicidal call

Fort Worth police released bodycamera videos Friday morning showing the deadly interaction between police officers and a suicidal man.

The incident occurred on Monday, Sept. 23, when police were called at about 6 p.m. to assist a man who called 911 and said he had a gun and wanted to hurt himself.

Chief of Police Neil Noakes said Friday that after a long search, officers found the man in a drainage ditch not far from his car parked along the 4800 block of Selkirk Drive.

My heart goes out to the family and their loved ones. I cannot imagine what they're going through. My heart also goes out to the officers involved and their families and what they're going through. We do ask for thoughts and prayers, as always, because I believe that matters.

Fort Worth Chief of Police Neil Noakes

In the video released Friday, the officers called out to the man by name, trying to talk to him. Moments later, the officer can be heard first asking him to "show me your hands," followed by "put that down." The officer then repeatedly says, "Don't," before gunshots are heard.

After the short burst of gunfire, officers again told the man to drop his gun.

"Put your hands up … I don't want to do it!" an officer said as the man retreated into a concrete drainage tunnel.

After several seconds, a single gunshot was heard, and the officers remarked that the man shot himself and was seen falling backward with his hand dropping to his side.

Noakes said when the man pointed his gun in the direction of the officers, even though they were there to help the man, they did what their training taught them to do, and they protected themselves from a deadly threat.

"That was a genuine statement. 'I dont want to do it, don't make me do it.' They didn't want it to happen like this," Noakes said. "I hate that this gentleman felt so desperate that he thought this was the only answer. But when I hear that, it breaks my heart because he [the officer] didn't want to fire, but unfortunately, that's what happened."

Noakes said when the man called 911, he wasn't asking for help but instead was trying to tell police where they would be able to find his body.

"I hope as you watch the video, you saw the thought, the care, the intentionality of the officers prior to even approaching. They did not rush headlong into the situation. They did not run up toward this gentleman yelling and screaming at him," Noakes said. "One officer said before approaching, 'We don't want this to turn into something it doesnt need to be,' meaning we don't want anyone to be hurt."

On the day of the shooting, police confirmed the man died at the scene, and a handgun was found near his body. On Friday, police confirmed two officers fired at the man, striking him once, though it was unclear which officer's shot hit the man and where. Police said the man also suffered a fatal wound when he turned the gun on himself. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will confirm the man's final cause of death.

"This is nothing short of an absolutely tragic situation. Obviously it's tragic and traumatic for the family and for the loved ones of this gentleman. It is also tragic and very traumatic for the officers that responded on scene," Noakes said.

The chief called on the community to respond and to get involved by helping those in crisis or on the precipice of a crisis to find help through the suicide and crisis hotline (dial 988) or the myriad social services available throughout the Metroplex.

"This is yet another time that begs a response and the response is for all of us to be more involved," Noakes said. "I'm begging anyone who either is experiencing some mental health challenges or knows someone who is to please get help."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org -- callers will be connected with trained counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

During his news conference Friday, Noakes said the department's Wellness & Resiliency Program provides clinical resources to officers who have witnessed traumatic incidents.

"We in law enforcement have not done a good job of addressing the mental and emotional wellness of our officers for years, but we've realized over the last few years just how critically important it is," Noakes said.

Noakes said the wellness program's only job is to address the mental health of the city's first responders. The unit checks in with officers after critical incidents, like an officer-involved shooting, but it can also provide care for any other wellness issue.

The Wellness Unit has a peer support team, and department staff have access to an app with mental health resources. They have also partnered with the American Warrior Association, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit that supports military, veterans and first responders and their families "in mind, body and soul," to develop its R3 program, Respond, Restore, Resolve. That program is designed to help officers recover and heal after responding to traumatic incidents.