Fort Worth police released body-camera and dash-camera video Friday from two fatal officer-involved shootings that occurred hours apart May 16, including one involving a local rapper and another involving a driver police said tried to strike officers at the first shooting scene.
During a Friday morning news conference, Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified the men killed as 25-year-old Emmitt Elijah Mayo and 29-year-old Jorge Contreras.
The first shooting happened shortly after midnight in the 4200 block of Wiman Drive after officers responded to multiple calls and text messages reporting gunfire, police said. Officers arriving at the scene reported hearing additional shots and encountering a man armed with a handgun.
“As officers were moving to the area where the shots were being fired, they encountered an individual that was armed with a handgun,” Garcia said.
Police said officers ordered Mayo to drop the weapon, but he did not comply and at one point pointed the gun toward officers. At least one officer fired, striking Mayo. Officers and Fort Worth Fire Department personnel attempted medical aid, but Mayo died at the scene, police said.
Garcia said investigators recovered an illegally modified Glock 17 near Mayo, and evidence showed at least one round was fired from Mayo’s side of the street. He said investigators were still determining whether the shot came from Mayo or another person.
Neighbors described a chaotic scene in the residential area. Carolyn Green said there had been a nearby party with large groups of young people and vehicles crowding the streets before the gunfire erupted.
“It was just droves of kids going up and down the streets like they always do in bunches, parking everywhere,” Green said, WFAA reported.
She said she had just returned to her bedroom when she heard shots outside.
“I heard this loud boom like it was in my house,” she said. “I looked out, I saw a guy laying there. I was getting ready to call the police and realized they were already here.”
Green said a bullet struck her home during the shooting.
Friends and family identified Mayo as a local rap artist who performed under the name 88dub. Mayo’s father told WFAA that his son hoped to build a music career and was scheduled to perform at a house party near Wiman Drive that evening.
“It takes a lot to get out of this neighborhood, and he was on his way out,” Mayo’s father said, per WFAA.
Billy Kirven, who said he witnessed the incident, told WFAA that Mayo exchanged gunfire after a dispute over money, then encountered officers while fleeing on foot.\
Hours later, while officers were still processing the Wiman Drive scene, police said a white SUV repeatedly drove past the area at high speed around 4:15 a.m. Investigators said the driver appeared to be attempting to strike officers standing near patrol vehicles.
Police attempted to stop the SUV, but the driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit lasting about 15 minutes. The chase ended near Interstate 820 and East Lancaster Avenue after officers used a PIT maneuver, also known as a tactical vehicle intervention, to stop the vehicle.
According to police, officers approached the SUV with weapons drawn and issued repeated verbal commands. Investigators said Contreras failed to comply and grabbed an officer’s handgun, prompting multiple officers to open fire.
Officers and firefighters provided medical aid, but Contreras died at the scene, police said.
A Fort Worth police sergeant sustained injuries during the second incident and went to a hospital for treatment. Police later said medical staff treated and released the officer. Garcia said shrapnel struck the sergeant, though authorities have not said exactly how the injury occurred.
The department placed the officers involved in both shootings on administrative leave while its Major Case Unit continues investigating the incidents, police said.
