Fort Worth officer-involved shooting: Civilian Response Unit member injured, suspect apprehended

FORT WORTH, Texas - One Fort Worth Police officer was injured, and

 a suspect is in custody following a shootout in a Fort Worth neighborhood that put several nearby schools on secure lockout.

Fort Worth CRU officer shot

What we know:

On Tuesday, April 28 at 11:45 a.m., members of the Fort Worth Police Department's Civilian Response Unit responded to a burglary in the 3500 block of North Juliet Lane.

The CRU members were met by gunfire from a suspect across the street, and one CRU member was injured in the shooting.

Fort Worth Police officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was later seen fleeing into his residence and jumping over the fence. Police initially searched for the suspect at his house before expanding the search into the neighborhood.

The suspect, identified at 39-year-old Angel Cantu, was later arrested around 5:40 p.m. as he exited a wooded area near Riverside Drive and Brittany Place. Police also recovered a weapon believed to have been involved in the shooting.

Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the officer who was injured is speaking and is in stable condition. The officer suffered an injury to his left eye when shrapnel struck him.

People who live in the Summerfields subdivision were asked to stay indoors. Authorities established several roadblocks in the immediate vicinity and advised the public to avoid the area until further notice.

What we don't know:

No further details regarding the nature of the initial burglary were immediately available.

Chief Garcia said it is unclear if the suspect was injured by gunfire.

Schools on Lockout

North Riverside Elementary School, Fossil Hill Middle School, Vista Ridge Middle School, and Basswood Elementary School were placed in a secure lockout (school continues as normal, but no students or staff outside, no visitors allowed) from 12:10 p.m. until around 3:50 p.m.

North Riverside Elementary was temporarily instructed by Fort Worth PD to initiate a lockdown (shelter in place) that lasted approximately 45 minutes. They were released from that lockdown and able to resume a secure lockout at 1:15 p.m. 

What is the Civilian Response Unit?

The Fort Worth Police Department describes the Civilian Response Unit like this:

"The Civilian Response Unit was formed in 2021 in response to the Police Department’s desire to provide the citizens of the city with better service, along with the realization that every call for service does not require a police officer to respond."

"These civilian employees are not armed and do not respond to calls where a suspect is on the scene or likely to return. Their role is to investigate calls, collect evidence (including fingerprinting) and write police reports."

What they're saying:

"I always see it in the news, but I never thought it was gonna happen so close to home."

Resident Lydia Godinez detailed the harrowing experience to FOX 4's Vania Castillo.

"They told us to turn off the light and be quiet because it was dangerous. We were there for a few hours before they let us go."

"First thing, they say, there's a shooting. It's just around the corner from us, and I am panicking," Stephanie Chavez, another resident who lives near where the incident happened, told Castillo.

Chavez said her daughter's school was placed on lockdown during the police investigation.

"I'm like, 'Sorry, baby, I can't get you out. Just follow instructions, and you're actually safer there than you are at home.' We don't know what's really going on."

Fort WorthCrime and Public Safety