Latest news with #FortWorthPolice
CBS News
25-06-2025
- CBS News
Fort Worth to pay $250,000 settlement in deadly 2023 police chase
The City of Fort Worth has agreed to pay $250,000 to the family of a man killed during a high-speed police chase in 2023. The settlement, approved Tuesday by the Fort Worth City Council, resolves a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the father of Andre Craig, 57, who died after a collision with a police vehicle in South Fort Worth. City records note the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by the City of Fort Worth. Craig was killed in July 2023 when a Fort Worth police officer, pursuing a reported stolen vehicle, collided with Craig's car at an intersection. Witnesses said Craig had a green light. The police report stated the chase reached speeds of up to 100 mph on Evans Avenue, where the speed limit is 30 mph. For nearly two years, Craig's family has pushed for accountability, urging the department to "own up" to its role in his death. The department has not said whether the officer followed its pursuit policies, but no disciplinary action was taken following an internal investigation. A Tarrant County grand jury later cleared the 20-year veteran officer of criminal wrongdoing. The case prompted a nearly two-year investigation by the CBS News Texas I-Team into the Fort Worth Police Department's vehicle pursuit policy. In response to public records requests from the I-Team and other media outlets, the city sued the Texas Attorney General to block the release of the full policy. While portions were released in spring 2024, the department argued that disclosing the entire policy could compromise officer safety and effectiveness. The man police were chasing, Brian Hunter, was charged with evading arrest causing death — a felony that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. His next court hearing is scheduled for September. Neither Craig's family nor the Fort Worth Police Department responded to requests for comment on the settlement.
CBS News
20-06-2025
- CBS News
Violent week in Fort Worth highlights urgent need for funding for shooting prevention program
A 22-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with a shooting early Friday morning at a FedEx Ground facility in Fort Worth. Police say Gerneicea Fulton has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting someone during a fight in the facility's parking lot. The victim remains in critical condition. Private lot shooting raises concerns CBS News Texas "With our extra patrols on the street, you've got a private parking lot where something like this takes place," said Officer Buddy Calzada, a public information officer for the Fort Worth Police Department. "In that private parking lot, people just have to be adults. They don't need to bring weapons to try to solve some kind of disturbance." Calzada added, "That concerns us — that people think this is the way you solve an argument, when it's not." Spike in gun violence across Fort Worth The incident is the latest in a string of violent events across Fort Worth this week. On Sunday, five people were killed in separate, unrelated shootings over the course of about 20 hours. Then, on Wednesday night, officers found a man shot in the head inside a car in west Fort Worth. Police say that in nearly all of this week's shootings, the violence began with an argument or altercation that escalated when someone pulled out a gun. Community leaders urge conflict resolution "Our biggest concern is how can we prevent it from leading up to that?" Calzada said. "You know, speak to somebody, get your frustrations out by talking to another individual." That's exactly what local nonprofit VIP Fort Worth aims to help young people do. Nonprofit scales back after funding loss The organization mentors young men ages 11 to 29 who live in neighborhoods identified as "shooting hot spots." "Our purpose is to try to stop retaliation whenever it takes place, as well as stop gun violence before it happens," said Rodney McIntosh, program director of VIP Fort Worth. "We just engage with these young men on a day-to-day basis, talking about emotional intelligence, emotional maturity, de-escalation, how to deal with conflict." But the group has had to scale back its efforts dramatically after losing federal funding in May — an outcome McIntosh says is already having deadly consequences. Call to restore violence prevention programs "In the last month, since we kind of had to slow things down — we hadn't lost a fellow in I think three years — we've lost two in the last month," he said. McIntosh emphasized the urgency of restoring the program to full capacity. "When this program is not functioning or not working, the chances of a young man losing his life becomes far greater," he said. "And so we have to make sure that we keep this program going in this city."
CBS News
20-06-2025
- CBS News
One person shot at Fort Worth FedEx facility after a fight in the parking lot, police say
One person is in critical condition after a shooting early Friday morning at a FedEx Ground facility in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Police Department said officers responded to the facility on Village Creek Road just after 4:30 a.m. During an altercation in the employee parking lot, someone fired five or six gunshots. One victim was hit in the torso and taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. One person was arrested. Police have not identified anyone involved, or said what led up to the fight. CBS News Texas has reached out to FedEx for comment.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crash on westbound I-30 at Montgomery leaves all lanes blocked Monday evening
All westbound lanes of Interstate 30 at Montgomery Street in Fort Worth are closed Monday evening after a multi-vehicle crash, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Fort Worth police said the number of people involved and extent of any injuries are unknown as of 7:15 p.m. MedStar reported one person had non-life threatening injuries. The crash possibly involved two or three vehicles and one vehicle reported rolled over, police said. Officers are still working at the scene. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Is Texas banning all THC products? → 900 tips led to arrests in fatal Grapevine Lake crash → 3-alarm fire damages Fort Worth mansion [Get our breaking news alerts.]
CBS News
31-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Fort Worth's police chief reflects as he retires
Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes City of Fort Worth After leading the Fort Worth Police Department for four and a half years, Chief Neil Noakes is stepping down, citing a desire to spend more time with family. His departure comes as violent crime in the city continues to decline. Homicides have dropped for three consecutive years, with aggravated assaults and burglaries also down. Noakes credits the success to a flexible crime plan that allowed officers to adapt to real-time trends, along with strong support from city leaders and the community. "I'm happy to say that I'm not leaving because the department is a bad department, or the city is a bad city. There is no better department to work for in the country," Noakes told CBS News Texas. Noakes said the decision to leave was difficult but ultimately driven by family priorities, especially with a second grandchild on the way. Highs and lows Despite the department's progress, Noakes' tenure was not without controversy. In 2023, a high-speed police chase through a residential area ended in the death of an innocent driver. "I'm so sorry it happened," Noakes said. "Any time a life is lost, it's tragic. That shouldn't have happened." Noakes declined to answer questions about the officers' responsibility in the incident, citing advice from city attorneys. Internal records show none of the officers involved in the pursuit faced disciplinary action. Nearly two years after the crash, details of the chase remain undisclosed. Noakes has refused to release the department's full vehicle pursuit policy, despite a directive from the Texas attorney general. "We released most of the policy," he said. "There are some tactics that we use in pursuits that we don't want our criminals to know about. We don't want to broadcast information that could compromise the efforts of these officers, put them in danger, and put citizens in danger because maybe the criminals know our policy so well. And don't think they wouldn't look." The city remains in a legal dispute with the attorney general over the matter. Mental health matters One of Noakes' proudest accomplishments is the department's renewed focus on mental health. "Here's how we dealt with mental health when I started: 'suck it up. There's more calls. Get back out there and do your job,'" Noakes said. "That is not acceptable. That is so tragic that we ever dealt with it that way." Under his leadership, the department launched a wellness unit to support officers and their families. It also introduced the Respond Restore Resolve (R3) initiative, a non-clinical resiliency training program for first responders. "There are things that officers see that no human being should ever have to witness. And the problem is they see it over and over and over again," he said. "What we're doing with R3 is an amazing resiliency training and it's non-clinical in nature, meaning we don't wait until they're broken and then try and fix them." A legacy of service Noakes said he hopes to be remembered as a leader who cared deeply about the department and the community. "I hope they see me as someone who really cared. Not just about city or department, but the people in the city and the people in the department," he said. "Somebody who made mistakes but tried his best. I've always tried to encourage people to be humble, to be servant leaders, and if any of those words are thrown out at some point in the future, I'll be happy with that." Chief Noakes' last day with the Fort Worth Police Department is Saturday.
