Fort Worth chief defends officers after 2 fatal weekend police shootings

FORT WORTH — Police Chief Eddie García on Thursday defended his officers who fatally shot two men in separate incidents last weekend and less than 24 hours apart, saying newly released body-camera footage and 911 audio showed rapidly unfolding threats.

In the first encounter, two officers shot 56-year-old Ricky Shane Lindsey after an eight-minute pursuit as he sat inside a vehicle holding what appeared to be a handgun, police said. Investigators later identified the weapon as a Beretta APX air pistol.

In the second, an officer shot 21-year-old Andrew Isaiah Ponce after his body-camera footage showed the man approaching the officer while holding three knives after a domestic disturbance.

The incidents brought the number of shootings involving Fort Worth officers this year to eight, five of them fatal, García said. The department had five shootings involving officers last year, he said.

The department’s Major Case Unit and Internal Affairs Unit are investigating both shootings. The officers involved were placed on critical incident leave, a routine development after such incidents.

The first encounter began about 6:45 p.m. Saturday after a private investigator told officers assigned to the department’s Directed Response Unit that a wanted man was at the M&M Inn and Suites, located at 101 Palette Drive, police said.

Officers watched the motel and saw Lindsey leave in a vehicle about 8:04 p.m.

Police attempted to stop him, but he did not pull over, prompting a pursuit that lasted about eight minutes. Lindsey circled the area before returning to the motel and stopping at the end of its parking lot, police said.

Body-camera footage shows officers positioned behind their vehicles and repeatedly ordering Lindsey to show his hands.

Police said Lindsey produced what appeared to be a handgun and placed it in his mouth. After removing it, he rolled up the vehicle’s window and moved inside the car, appearing to remove his seat belt and possibly prepare to open the door, García said.

Two officers fired, striking Lindsey.

Asked whether Lindsey pointed the apparent weapon at officers, García said he could not determine that from the video. He said the officers believed Lindsey might be preparing to leave the vehicle while armed.

Officers provided medical aid until Fort Worth firefighters arrived and pronounced Lindsey dead. No officers were injured.

Police said Lindsey was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. He had failed to register multiple times this year and cut off his GPS monitoring device in May, according to the department.

The officers who fired are assigned to the Directed Response Unit and have worked for the department since 2016 and 2024, according to Fort Worth police.

The second shooting occurred about 6:15 a.m. Sunday at an apartment complex in the 9200 block of Renee Circle.

West Division officers were dispatched to a priority-one domestic disturbance after a woman reported that her ex-boyfriend had broken through her front door and armed himself with a knife, police said.

The woman remained on the phone with a 911 dispatcher for nearly 10 minutes. Several neighbors also called police to report the incident.

Before officers arrived, police said Ponce fought with his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, chased them through the apartment and parking lot with knives and caused extensive property damage.

Both were injured and treated at the scene, police said.

Responding officers were also warned that Ponce had previously assaulted a police officer, García said.

The first officer to arrive found Ponce in the parking lot holding one knife to his throat and two more in his other hand, police said.

Body-camera footage shows Ponce walking toward the officer as the officer moves backward and repeatedly orders him to drop the knives.

The officer fired, striking Ponce.

Officers provided medical aid before Fort Worth firefighters transported Ponce to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured.

Police said investigators recovered the three knives Ponce had been holding and five additional knives from the apartment and parking lot.

The officer who fired the fatal shot is assigned to West Patrol and has worked for the department since 2023.

Asked about a reporter’s interview with Ponce’s father, who said his son had mental health issues and was receiving counseling, García said Fort Worth officers undergo crisis-intervention training.

Such techniques are generally more effective when officers have time and distance, he said.

“When you have a static situation, when you have time, then some of those techniques work,” García said. “In a dynamic situation such as this, sometimes they won’t work.”

García said Ponce had already been involved in a violent confrontation and was walking toward an officer while holding multiple knives.

He also defended the officer’s decision to use his firearm instead of a Taser. The officer arrived alone without backup or cover, García said.

Knives can be deadly, and someone carrying one can quickly close the distance on an officer, he said. A Taser also may not immediately incapacitate someone.

García credited the officer’s quick arrival with preventing further violence against the two people involved in the domestic disturbance.

“That officer saved lives that day by him getting there quickly,” García said.

The chief also acknowledged the effect the shootings would have on the families of both men and the officers involved.

“Any loss of life is tragic, regardless of the circumstances,” García said.