Fort Worth police on Thursday released body camera video and additional details from two separate police shootings over the weekend that left two men dead.
"Our thoughts and our prayers are with everyone involved in these incidents,” Police Chief Eddie Garcia said. “Any loss of life is tragic, regardless of the circumstances. Families are grieving the loss of a loved one, and we recognize the profound emotional impact that these events have on them.”
Police said the first shooting happened Saturday after officers with the Directed Response Unit received information from a private investigator about the whereabouts of 56-year-old Ricky Lindsay, who was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender after allegedly cutting off his GPS monitoring device earlier this year.
Officers attempted a traffic stop after locating Lindsay, but he led them on an approximately eight-minute pursuit before returning to the M&M Inn and Suites in South Fort Worth.
According to police, Lindsay appeared to place what looked like a firearm in his mouth before making movements inside the vehicle after refusing officers' commands.
Two officers fired, striking him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later recovered what they identified as a Beretta APX air pistol from the vehicle.
The second shooting occurred about 6:15 a.m. Sunday after officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the Carmen Apartments in West Fort Worth.
Police said 21-year-old Andrew Ponce allegedly forced his way into an apartment armed with knives, assaulted two people and chased them before officers arrived.
Ponce’s ex-girlfriend called 911 after he allegedly broke into her apartment. She told the dispatcher Ponce had previously tried breaking into her apartment before.
Police said the first responding officer encountered Ponce in the parking lot holding multiple knives.
After repeated commands to drop the weapons, investigators said Ponce advanced toward the officer, who fired his weapon. Ponce later died at a hospital.
Garcia said officers receive Crisis Intervention Team training but noted those techniques are not always effective during rapidly evolving, violent encounters.
"That officer saved lives that day by him getting there as quickly as he did," Garcia said.
These two shootings mark the eighth officer involved shooting in Fort Worth compared to last year’s five.
Garcia defended the officers' actions, saying their priority is ensuring public safety before attempting de-escalation.
“We recognize the burden placed on our police officers who were forced to make split second decisions not only to protect themselves, but also members of our communities,” Garcia said. “The first thing we need to do before we can start any type of dialogue is make sure both people are safe.”
The officers involved in both shootings have been placed on routine critical incident leave while major case and internal affairs detectives continue investigating both incidents.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
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