'Absolutely tragic situation': Fort Worth releases police shooting video
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police released body camera video showing parts of what happened during an officer-involved shooting that ended with a man’s suicide.
The shooting happened on the evening of Sept. 23 after police got a call from a man who said he was planning to harm himself. He told them he wanted to make sure they knew where to find his body.
The responding officers located the man’s empty vehicle parked in the 4800 block of Selkirk Drive.
They spotted him in a nearby draining culvert and tried to come up with a plan to quietly approach him.
"I don’t want this to turn into something it doesn’t need to be, you know," an officer can be heard saying in the body camera video.
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The video shows the officers walking up to the culvert and calling out for the man to show his hands. But police said he instead pointed a handgun at the officers.
"Put that down. Don’t. Don’t do it," the officers say in the video.
Fort Worth police said two officers fired their weapons, striking the man once.
The man then retreated towards a tunnel and refused to comply with the officer’s commands.
Moments later, a single gunshot can be heard on the video coming from inside the tunnel.
Police said the officers saw the man fall to the ground, so they climbed down into the culvert to give him first aid.
Investigators believe the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but the Tarrant County Medical Examiner still has not ruled on his exact cause of death.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is nothing short of an absolutely tragic situation. Obviously, it’s tragic and traumatic for the family and for the loved ones of this gentleman. It is also tragic and very traumatic for the officers that responded on scene," said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes.
The chief commended his officers for the thought and care they put into the call before approaching the man.
"They did not rush headlong into the situation. They did not run up towards this gentleman, yelling and screaming at him," Chief Noakes said. "But within a matter of seconds of making contact, this gentleman pointed his firearm at my officers. They were faced with a deadly threat, and they did what they were trained to do and what I expect them to do in that situation – protect themselves."
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"It’s been a very difficult thing for all of us to deal with," said Sgt. Leah Wagner, a spokeswoman for the Fort Worth Police Department. "We’ve been in contact with the family and they’re having a rough time as well."
He has been identified as 58-year-old Brant David Nickell.
The case will be turned over to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office for review, which is standard for all officer-involved shootings.
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This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.