Since the kid was close enough to his aunt to see that she was pointing the gun at the officer through the window, it’s not far fetched that he could’ve been injured or killed when the officer shot (or negligently discharged, which I’m 50/50 on).

I wish there was more information on this. I worked for fwpd for 13 years and have been to hundreds of open structure calls and can tell you not one was the same scenario. The first 4 years east side and then north and finished up west side off Las Vegas tr. Has there been any recent robberies in that area or home invasions? Did the call taker check the address to try and find a callback number? Was the officer the sheet officer or told by another officer “you go watch the back door while I go to the front”? I don’t know the full details and can’t say what was done wrong but I can tell you no officer goes to work wanting to kill someone. Fort Worth has one of the toughest academies and I can assure you he was trained properly. This was a tragic mistake and does not make him an idiot or a bad cop. This has been turned into a circus and he doesn’t have a chance at a fair trial. My prayers go out to all parties involved.

I’m curious when you show up to a scene like that is it protocol to start announcing your presence to anyone who may or may not be in the home? A lot of experts on here feel like that is where the cop messed up and the police chief said he broke multiple department policies. I’m wondering if announcing yourself in that situation is actually a policy.

Open doors and windows shall be investigated as silent alarms with the officers eliminating all means of escape prior to beginning their search of the building. This is section 327.05 of Fort Worth General orders for open doors and windows. It can be found on there website if anyone wants to take a look.

327.01 SILENT ALARM A. The officer receiving the call on a silent alarm shall be responsible for the coordination and placement of other units also responding to the scene. B. All main exit ways should be guarded so as to prevent the escape of any offender. C. The unit in charge of the call shall inspect the structure to determine if there is any sign of forced entry. D. If officers find signs of forced entry or have any reason to believe that a burglar may still be in the building, they shall keep all exits under surveillance and call for assistance from available canine units and for any additional units required to secure the building. E. If the building shows no signs of forced entry, officers shall continue to keep the building under surveillance and have the Police Information Center contact the owner of the building and/or alarm company reporting the alarm. If contact is made with the owner, an owner or authorized agent shall be requested to make the scene so that officers may conduct a routine inspection of the inside of the structure. F. If the building appears secure and the owner or alarm company representative shall not be making the scene or shall be delayed by more than twenty (20) minutes, the officer shall clear the call and return to service. The complainant shall be advised to contact the Police Communications Division upon their arrival at the scene so that officers may return to the location. G. On structures that are not secure and where the complainant cannot be located, officers shall attempt every reasonable means to secure the building. If the building cannot be secured, officers shall stand by until the building can be secured. Dispatchers shall attempt to have the officers relieved every two (2) hours. The structure shall not be abandoned without the permission of a supervisor who shall base the decision to remain or to abandon the building on existing conditions at the time. H. The officer with responsibility for the call shall make the appropriate offense/incident report when the officer finds that the alarm notification was caused by burglary, robbery or an attempt of either, hostage situation, criminal mischief, reckless damage, or an arrest is made. I. If the officer determines that the alarm notification was caused by damage where no offense was committed, the officer shall direct an incident report to the Alarms Unit titled “Alarm Call.” Any such damage must be readily visible to the officer. Officers may direct an incident report to the Alarms Unit under circumstances where the officer believes a possible violation of the alarm ordinance exists. J. If the responding officer determines that the alarm notification was caused by the weather and there is no visible damage to the alarm site, the officer shall not have to make an incident report. The weather-related alarm shall be recorded on the officer's CAD disposition as caused by the weather and the dispatcher shall be so advised.

We’ve all seen the bodycam video.

The officer is inspecting the property unannounced.
He’s shining a light in a window.
He sees a lady looking at him through the window.
He yells at the lady that he wants to see her hands.
Less than a second after he yells, he shoots and kills her.

Why didn’t he announce that he was PD when he arrived on scene?
Why didn’t he just take a step for cover to the right or left of the window instead of shoot?

A fair trial for him is for him to plead guilty and accept whatever sentence he receives. He can accept responsibility, fall on his sword, and that will be that for him.

With all that 327.01 says, whether this officer was following 327.01 to the letter or doing it completely bass ackwards, the fact still remains that he made the worst mistake he could make and killed an innocent lady in her own home

Some truly disgusting people on this forum.

I wouldn’t say disgusting. Differences in opinion are perfectly fine and very healthy. It’s good to hear and consider others’ points of view. When we all have differences of opinions and debates, it shouldn’t make us angry at each other or hate each other.

I don’t think anyone on here is disagreeing that he made a mistake, that’s pretty obvious. What some are saying is it’s not murder and he shouldn’t be hung in the streets. If you are robbing someone and kill them to take their wallet that is murder. If you go postal and kill someone at work because they took your stapler, that is murder. If you respond to a call and are investigating it, and the homeowner points a gun at you and you think it’s a burglar, that’s something, but it ain’t murder.

We have seen 10 seconds of body cam. All I am saying is the facts are not all out there yet. Hopefully they will be”transparent “ and release everything.

I agree with you 100% Mr Souther

I guess I’ll quit saying murdered and maybe start using the word slaughtered or gunned down this innocent lady in her own home. That will make the semantics police happier I suppose. No matter which word or phrase I or others use, he still made her dead.

We’ve already been over the definition of murder in Texas, and none of us know if he will be convicted of murder, but my opinion is that the police chief has been pretty explicit about it and he was arrested for it. The definition of murder in Texas is different than many states. It doesn’t mean what you and I usually think it means. It’s a much broader definition here.

I appreciate your incite.