Fort Worth police say two deadly officer-involved shootings unfolded within hours of each other early Saturday morning, with the second confrontation happening as officers investigated the first.
During a Friday press conference, Eddie Garcia said officers first responded around 12:05 a.m. May 16 to more than a dozen 911 calls reporting active gunfire near the 4200 block of Wiman Drive in east Fort Worth.
Garcia said officers heard additional shots after arriving and ran toward the gunfire, where they encountered 25-year-old rapper Emmitt Elijah Mayo, also known as "88Dub," holding a handgun.
Officers ordered Mayo to drop the weapon, but Garcia said Mayo continued running and appeared to aim his gun toward officers before two officers opened fire.
Mayo was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured.
Garcia defended the officers' actions, saying they were trying to assess the chaotic encounter.
"Our officers had to make split-second decisions to not only protect themselves, but also the residents that live in that neighborhood," Garcia said.
Police said Mayo was carrying a Glock 17 equipped with an illegal "Glock switch," which converts a handgun into a fully automatic weapon, along with an extended magazine loaded with 16 rounds.
Investigators also recovered more than 30 shell casings in the surrounding area.
Garcia also said Mayo had gang affiliations, but did not provide further details.
The chief acknowledged conflicting accounts from Mayo's family, who previously questioned whether Mayo pointed a gun at officers.
"No matter the circumstances, the loss of life is tragic," said Garcia. "A family, the father has lost the son and we recognize the emotional impact the family may be experiencing."
Garcia said investigators are still determining whether a bullet recovered from a nearby vehicle came from Mayo's weapon or another shooter.
About four hours later, while officers were still processing the Wiman Drive crime scene, police said a white Chevrolet Traverse repeatedly drove through the area at high speeds, at times traveling the wrong direction near officers and patrol vehicles.
Garcia said officers believed the driver was attempting to hit officers.
Police pursued the SUV for about 15 minutes before stopping it on northbound East Loop 820 with a PIT maneuver, a tactic where officers intentionally strike a fleeing vehicle to force it to spin and stop safely.
Police identified the driver as 29-year-old Jorge Contreras.
According to Garcia, Contreras refused commands after the pursuit ended, threatened officers and grabbed for an officer's handgun before five officers fired, killing him.
A Fort Worth police sergeant suffered injuries from shrapnel fragments and was later released from a hospital.
Garcia said investigators have found no confirmed connection between Mayo and Contreras beyond the second incident beginning near the original shooting scene.
He added that Contreras had a history of mental illness.
Both shootings remain under investigation by the department's Major Case and Internal Affairs units.
These shootings come as FWPD urges residents to stop illegal gunfire including celebratory gunfire and reckless shooting.
"We were sending that message out to our community members and hopefully they will listen to it," said Garcia. "There was a lot of people in the area and officers trying to find out where those gunshots were coming from."
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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