Video: Texas Police Officers Stop Charging Man Wielding 2 Knives

By Matt Kyle

Source The Dallas Morning News

The family of a man killed by Fort Worth police officers said he was experiencing a mental breakdown prior to being shot by officers.

Fort Worth police on Friday held a news conference where the department released body camera footage and 911 audio from an officer-involved shooting on Jan. 15. In that incident, police said Brandon Zachary Adame, 28, was fatally shot after charging at officers with two knives.

Police initially said officers were called at about 4:20 a.m. to a domestic disturbance in the 5800 block of Westgate Drive. In the 911 audio released by the department, the caller can be heard begging a man not to hit her anymore, while the man threatens to kill the caller.

In the video released by the department, officers can be seen arriving at the residence. The caller opens the front door but is unable to open a screen door.

Police initially said officers saw a man in the home holding a knife and acting aggressively toward others. In the video, officers can be seen attempting to speak with the man and a knife can be seen piercing the screen door.

Two officers then move to the back of the home and try to break down the back door as one officer stays in the front and continues to try and speak with the man. As officers breach the back door, the man can be seen running at officers while holding two knives.

Two officers shoot, and the man falls to the ground. A woman then comes outside screaming and calling the man’s name.

Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said Adame was pronounced dead at the scene, despite life-saving measures taken by officers and other first responders. Noakes said the 911 caller was Adame’s mother.

Noakes also said officers had been called the week prior to the home on reports of a mental health crisis. Noakes said Adame was able to get help during that call, but that during this call, the situation turned violent.

“They were presented with a choice,” Noakes said. “They chose to protect themselves, which is what I expect them to do.”

Bryan Adame, Brandon’s cousin, started a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral expenses. Bryan Adame said his cousin struggled with mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and that night was not the first time officers had been called to his aunt’s home.

Noakes said Fort Worth officers are trained in crisis intervention. He said the department does have crisis negotiators and mental health professionals who often respond to calls like this, but they were not able to make it to this call.

Bryan Adame said the situation has been incredibly traumatic for his aunt, who he said has barely been eating or drinking since the fatal shooting. Bryan Adame described his cousin as a kid who never really grew up, who loved playing video games.

“Brandon was her whole world,” Bryan Adame said.

Police said the incident is still under investigation. No officers or other civilians were injured. Per department policy, the officers who fired their weapons have been placed on leave.