Fort Worth Standoff: Man who shot at officers killed after barricading himself in mother's home

A suspected gunman is dead after a chase and hours-long standoff at a Fort Worth home.  

While barricaded inside his mother’s home, he set off fireworks aimed at police

What we know:

The 1700 block of Skyline Drive in Fort Worth became a spectacle after a barricaded man set off fireworks as negotiators tried to get him to surrender.

It all started Thursday afternoon when Lake Worth officers tried to pull him over for a traffic violation.

Lake Worth police say the man fired at officers during the stop, which prompted a chase that ended with him barricading himself inside his relatives’ home in Fort Worth.

At that point, the Fort Worth Police Department’s SWAT team joined to assist Lake Worth police.

"We know this gentleman was on federal probation at the time with a lengthy criminal history," said Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian. "During the pursuit, members of our special operations unit did witness him throw items out of the vehicle. We’ve attempted to locate those. We’ve been unsuccessful."

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The man briefly held his mother hostage in the home, according to police. But he eventually released her unharmed.

Police say the man eventually came out of the home holding a gun to his own head. Negotiators continued efforts to de-escalate the situation, but they say the suspect ultimately fired at officers again. 

A Fort Worth SWAT officer returned fire, killing him.  

What they're saying:

"As you all know, we’ve had multiple incidents recently, where our officers are facing deadly threats, such as people shooting at them like what we saw tonight," said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes. "This forces them to make a decision to protect themselves, which is exactly what we train them to do. It’s what I expect them to do."

A neighbor who lives across the street did not want her face shown or name used. She says the homeowner had recently given them notice as a precaution about her brother returning from prison.

"She did let us know that he was dangerous, and he was coming home from prison," she said. "So we have been very cautious about things. We just never thought it would come to this."

What we don't know:

Investigators have not released the name of the suspected gunman. It’s unclear what he was on federal probation for.

We don’t know how many officers returned fire. The officers who were involved in the shooting have not been named.

What's next:

Fort Worth police are now leading the investigation. 

An internal investigation is underway to determine if deadly force was justified.

Lake Worth police say they plan to release bodycam and dashcam video next week at a joint press conference with Fort Worth police.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Lake Worth Police, Fort Worth Police, interviews with neighbors and previous FOX 4 reports.

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