An armed Fort Worth man who opened fire at officers is still in critical condition after he was shot multiple times on a domestic disturbance call last week, police said at a press conference Friday.
Fort Worth police responded to the call in the 5600 block of Seafield Lane last Thursday, where bodycam footage showed a standoff between seven officers and 31-year-old Cameron Leverett.
The 911 call audio released by police reveals the caller telling police that Leverett, her boyfriend, had been “drinking all day” and was banging his head against the wall. She also told police during the call he had a handgun and shot it multiple times outside.
Police say they established a perimeter and shouted toward Leverett to make contact.
“We want to get you some help, but you need to come out of the front door with your hands up and empty, but you got to do it now,” one officer said.
Officers could be heard saying he had a gun pointed at his head before three shots were heard fired inside the home.
Shortly after, video shows Leverett exiting the home before firing at officers. Police returned fire, hitting Leverett between five and seven times, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said.
Leverett is facing seven charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a public servant and one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon involving family violence.
“This is a very traumatic situation for everyone involved,” Noakes said. “We provide top notch training, top notch equipment, the best we can to keep our officers safe. And no amount of training can really prepare for something like that.”
Noakes added Leverett was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and officers had already visited his residence the week before regarding a “mental health crisis.”
Christy Jack, an attorney representing Leverett, said in a statement the incident shows a “major issue” in how police handle these situations.
“This was the second time in two weeks that Cameron experienced a mental health breakdown,” Jack said. “The first time, police handled it appropriately and took him to John Peter Smith Hospital. This time, he was met with a barrage of bullets and nearly lost his life."
Jack added police should have employed a crisis intervention team to help de-escalate the situation at the time.
Noakes said there have been multiple similar incidents this month.
“This is not the way we wanted to start the year,” Noakes said. “And I'm talking about any violence in the city at all. But something of note here is specifically the violence directed toward my officers. I absolutely don't want to see that ever.”
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