Fort Worth police officer hurt in shootout with suspect
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth police officer is out of the hospital and recovering after being injured in a shootout.
It happened around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Stop Six neighborhood, in southeast Fort Worth.
The gun battle began with a vehicle stop in the 4800 block of Miller Avenue. A police alert flagged the car as being connected to a shooting on Saturday.
An officer followed the vehicle and called for back up.
Police said the car pulled over and someone got out of the vehicle, then duped the officer into thinking he was surrendering.
"The officer didn’t even have a chance. Literally, the individual raised his hands like he was giving up and just started firing at our officer. Just unbelievable," said Officer Buddy Calzada of Fort Worth Police.
The officer returned fire. During the exchange, the officer was hit by flying debris and glass shards.
"He believed he’d been shot. He believed he had taken gunfire because there were so many rounds that came," said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes.
The suspect took off, speeding away from the scene. The injured officer gave chase, until his patrol car became inoperable.
"Thankfully, it wasn’t a bullet wound, but the amazing part is that he stayed in the fight. He’d been shot at numerous times, and was still doing what he could do to keep our city safe," said Calzada.
The suspect, Devoreia Thompson, was caught by Arlington police.
His mother was at the scene following his arrest. She told FOX 4 he struggles with mental health issues.
"Each day I don't know if he's going to be in this mood or if he's going to be this kind of way. I have to say certain things in a certain way just to keep him from blowing up," said Judy Russ, the suspect's mother.
Russ says he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and more.
She says she recently petitioned a Tarrant County Court to have him restrained or taken into custody,
"The judge, said I have to deny your request, because unless he hurt somebody or causes some violent crime, we have no way of going out and arresting him for mental disorder," said Russ.
It’s not clear the suspect was injured in the shootout.
"The next steps involve looking at body cam, any video footage we can release. The main goal behind the Fort Worth Police Department is to stay transparent," said Calzada.
In the meantime, the investigation continues into the shooting that left a Fort Worth PD officer injured and the alert that prompted the Sunday night traffic stop to begin with.
"This car was linked to that, and I believe the person we have in custody now was involved not only in the shooting tonight, but the shooting yesterday as well," said Chief Noakes.
The injured officer has been with the department for a year and a half, joining the force from a neighboring agency.
Police say he was treated and released from the hospital on Sunday.