Family says man, 19, killed by Tarrant County deputies asked to serve mental health warrant

A man was killed, and a deputy was stabbed in the head Friday afternoon in what the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office described as an altercation that took place as a mental health warrant was being served in Haltom City.

Jennifer Gabbert, the chief deputy with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, delivered a brief statement to reporters on Friday afternoon and confirmed that just before 2 p.m., warrant deputies were attempting to serve a warrant on Twin Oaks Drive when they got into an altercation with a person armed with a knife.

During the altercation, Gabbert said a deputy was injured, and the person armed with a knife was killed.

Gabbert said the deputy was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. Gabbert didn't specify how the armed person died, but officials previously confirmed a shooting involving law enforcement had taken place at the location.

The sheriff's office did not immediately confirm the type of warrant being served Friday. On Saturday, they said the warrant was a mental health warrant. The Texas Municipal Police Association said on social media Friday that the deputy had been stabbed. The sheriff's department did not elaborate on the deputy's injuries until Saturday when they revealed the deputy had been stabbed in the head and cut on the hand.

Family says they were trying to get help for man struggling with mental illness

Jorge Loyo, 22, told NBC 5 Friday afternoon that the warrant being served was a mental health warrant that he requested on behalf of his 19-year-old brother, who he said had become paranoid and in need of mental help.

Loyo said he spoke with a judge on Thursday about getting his brother treatment. He said the judge signed off on the warrant and that mental health specialists would arrive at his home within three days and take his brother to a mental health facility. Loyo said he was notified Friday that they were on the way, and he asked about what to expect next. Loyo said he was told the specialists would talk to his brother and take him and that if he got aggressive, they may have to cuff him.

Loyo said when the deputies arrived, he let them in the house. Loyo said it wasn't long before he and his mother were ushered away from the hallway outside his brother's room. He said he heard gunshots and a stun gun moments later.

"They didn't talk to him. They just busted in the door, and I didn't see, I just heard the gunshots and the Taser, that was it," Loyo said. "They didn't talk to him at all. At all, at all, at all. Why? I don't know. What are the procedures for Tarrant County deputies? Is that it? Just drag him out? It's mental health, you know people are like that … I want to know why you guys didn't sit there and have a conversation with him. You just barged in."

Loyo told NBC 5 that the family had talked to his brother about getting some help but that he was unwilling to do it on his own. He said they'd previously called Haltom City police, who visited the home and talked with his brother, but they left after determining he wasn't a threat. Loyo said police recommended the warrant, and the family thought they were doing the right thing by getting his brother into a mental health treatment facility.

"That's my brother. He was 19," Loyo said. "My brother is gone. It's my fault."

Loyo said since he was moved away from his brother's room by deputies, he didn't see if he had a knife. He still wondered why, even if his brother was holding a knife, why they didn't try to talk to him first and how the incident escalated into gunfire.

Loyo told NBC 5 that about five minutes passed between the time the deputies arrived and the time they walked out the door after the shooting.

Sheriff's office says deputy was stabbed in the head, hand cut

On Saturday, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office sent out an updated statement that said Mental Health Warrant Deputies were sent to the Loyo home on Friday to take Christopher Loyo into custody. They said he'd been arrested a week before for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was out on bond.

During the serving of the mental health warrant, the sheriff's department said Loyo assaulted a deputy with a knife, "stabbing the deputy in the head and causing a severe laceration to his hand." The sheriff's office said deputies in the room fired to stop Loyo and to save the life of the deputy.

The sheriff's office said deputies served 427 mental health warrants last year and transported those taken into custody to mental health facilities. The sheriff's office said there were dangers in serving mental health warrants but didn't elaborate on any of the 427 cases or say whether any resulted in injuries.

The sheriff's office said the deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on routine administrative leave. The sheriff's office also requested that the Texas Rangers take the lead in the investigation and said that all future updates would come from the Texas Department of Public Safety.