Fort Worth officer on leave after fatally shooting armed man
DALLAS — A Fort Worth, Texas, police officer on bicycle patrol has been placed on mandatory administrative leave after fatally shooting a man brandishing a pistol on Friday morning, police said.
The officer, a 23-year veteran, was one of several responding to a fight. As officers approached, they saw a man armed with a handgun. After identifying themselves, officers ordered the man to drop the weapon, police said.
“Believing the man was about to fire his pistol, a single officer fired his duty weapon striking the male at least one time,” police said in a statement.
The race of the officer and the suspect, who died at an area hospital, have not been released.
The shooting comes after a series of incidents in which police have fatally shot unarmed minorities, raising questions about the role of race in U.S. policing.