A local firefighter is in critical condition after being shot while performing a welfare check on an apartment on Friday, with the alleged shooter facing charges.
Arlington emergency dispatchers ordered a welfare check on a residence after a neighbor called 911. The caller reported having heard children continuously crying for their mother to wake up, according to a news release from the Arlington Police Department (APD).
Personnel from APD, the Arlington Fire Department, and American Medical Response were deployed to an apartment community in the 400 block of Bardin Greene Drive shortly before 1 a.m. on March 22.
“When our officers got to the apartment, they began knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell on a small surveillance camera that was hanging on the door, and announcing themselves as police,” Arlington Assistant Police Chief Tarrick McGuire explained at a press conference this weekend.
“No one answered the door, but they could hear children’s voices from the inside of the apartment continuing to call for their mother to wake up,” he continued. “The officers continued to knock at the door and rang the doorbell for approximately five more minutes. They announced themselves as police 17 times.”
Fearing that someone was injured, first responders decided to force the apartment door open. It was at this time that someone allegedly fired a weapon from within the apartment, striking one of the firefighters on the other side of the door. Arlington police did not return fire but ordered all those within the residence to exit, which they did without incident — two adults and two children.
A 27-year-old man named Demetric Brooks was taken into custody and booked into the Tarrant County Jail, reported Fox 4 KDFW.
“Facts that our investigators know at this time is that the subject was sleeping inside the residence with his girlfriend, and they woke up hearing first responders trying to breach the door,” explained McGuire. “Thinking that someone was trying to break in, he fired a shot and had his girlfriend call 911. We have confirmed that the girlfriend did call 911.”
Brooks has been booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The APD’s investigation is still ongoing, yet a witness to the shooting — who did not wish to be identified — expressed disbelief at the whole situation.
“Those cops were literally out here standing 10 minutes trying to get somebody to come outside the door,” the individual told WFAA. “There’s no way he could’ve not heard that.”
The wounded firefighter has been identified as Brady Weaver, a six-year veteran from Station 9.
“I’m incredibly relieved to report that his prognosis is currently trending in a positive direction. He is listed in critical condition but is stable,” Arlington Chief Bret Stidham said during the press conference.
“My staff and I have had the chance to visit with Brady and his family and I’m reporting that he appears to be in good spirits. He’s alert. He’s speaking. He’s actually eating. So those are good things. But like I said before, it’s going to be a long recovery for Brady,” Stidham added, per WFAA.
In neighboring Dallas, 5,428 assaults were reported this year as of March 24, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Of these, 1,222 had been aggravated assaults, a category reserved for incidents involving a weapon or in which the victim sustains serious injuries. Council Member Adam Bazaldua’s District 7 logged the most simple and aggravated assaults in the City.
The overwhelming majority of assault victims in Dallas so far have been black or Hispanic, with around 60% being female.
The Dallas Police Department has been grappling with significant staffing and resource issues. Only around 3,000 officers are fielded despite a City report recommending a force of 4,000 to promote public safety adequately. As a result, police response times have been lagging behind their targets, with just over half of all calls being addressed in a timely manner, per City data.
Moreover, DPD disposes of a budget of just $654 million this fiscal year. City leaders opted to budget police far less than their counterparts in other high-crime jurisdictions, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
