A sheriff’s deputy was shot twice while working an off-duty security job at a Fort Worth financial institution on Monday afternoon.
Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office deputy Brent Brown, 35, exchanged gunfire with a suspect inside the Fort Worth Community Credit Union at 6454 Brentwood Stair Rd. shortly before 4 p.m. He was struck in the lower abdomen and upper chest, but he is expected to survive.
“The Deputy is out of surgery and his prognosis is good. Will be a significant recovery period. … Please pray for his recovery and for his fellow officers,” Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare posted on X.
Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes addressed the shooting incident that same evening.
“It always hits close to home when an officer is violently injured by a violent criminal like this,” Noakes said, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. “But when it’s the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, right here in our own backyard, it literally and figuratively hits close to home.”
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told reporters that the 12-year veteran deputy had acted courageously in the face of adversity.
“Brent stood his ground. He did his duty, and what he did today is what law enforcement expects out of all of our officers, and he did it well,” Waybourn said, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
The accused gunman, 35-year-old Leland Williams, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting on a charge of attempted capital murder of a peace officer. He is currently being held in Tarrant County jail on a $100,000 bond.
No further information has been released — such as a motive for the shooting — as investigations by the Fort Worth Police Department’s major case unit and the FBI are still ongoing.
Meanwhile, a significant officer shortage has been hindering efforts in Dallas to get crime under control. The Dallas Police Department currently has fewer than 3,200 officers in its ranks despite a City analysis recommending a force of at least 4,000 to maintain public safety.
The effects of the deficit are most apparent in Downtown Dallas, which, compared to nearby Fort Worth’s downtown area, logs considerably higher rates of crime on a regular basis.
The officer shortage in Dallas has also negatively impacted police response times, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. According to the City of Dallas crime analytics dashboard, the average response time for P2 calls — comprising business hold-ups, robberies, criminal assaults, major accidents, and in-progress auto thefts — is 107.5 minutes, a significant difference from the department’s 12-minute response time goal.
Note: This article was updated on December 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. to accurately reflect where the gunfire occurred relative to the credit union.