FORT WORTH, Texas — During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, the Fort Worth Police Department showed edited body camera footage of an officer and an arson investigator shooting and killing two men after a block party earlier this month.
Bronshay Minter, 30, and Billy Smith, 21, were fatally shot by law enforcement officers just before 12:30 a.m. on July 5.
Before showing the footage, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said that the officer and the arson investigator, who were working together as one of many law enforcement pairs responding to fireworks reports that night, were called to the block party at Ross Avenue and Northwest 32nd Street earlier in the night but didn't see active fireworks activity at that time.
After receiving another call, Noakes said they drove past the block party a second time shortly after midnight -- and this time, reportedly saw an injured Hispanic man walking away from another man holding a firearm.
After stopping to investigate, Noakes said police received a 911 call about people fighting at the block party at that intersection.
The video Noakes shared included portions of a recorded 911 call.
"I think they're having a big altercation -- it's a big ol' fight," a 911 caller said in the recording. "Oh my god, they just shot, they just shot."
Noakes said Smith could be seen standing and pointing a gun and that the officer, after hearing a gunshot and perceiving an immediate threat, fired his service weapon and shot Smith multiple times.
In the video, it is clear that the officer fired his weapon into a crowd before announcing his presence. What remains unclear is who fired the first shot.
At the same time the FWPD officer shot Smith, Noakes said the arson investigator saw Minter with a pistol in his hand. After two more gunshots caught by bodycam audio, the arson investigator and FWPD officer both shot their weapons at Minter, Noakes said.
Both Minter and Smith died.
Noakes added that pistols were reportedly found on the ground near Minter and Smith, where they fell, and two spent shell casings were found that closely matched Minter's pistol.
Officers also found additional gunshot victims, Noakes said, in addition to a Hispanic man who had been shot, stabbed and beaten.
According to Noakes, two gunshot victims were taken to a hospital with confirmed gunshot wounds, and one person police believe had a gunshot wound left the scene without identifying himself.
It is not clear who shot whom, Noakes said. At this time, it's unknown whether both peace officers might be responsible for the additional injuries.
Noakes added that ballistics reports that have not yet been completed would be vital in determining whether the law enforcement officials shot the additional victims while shooting at Smith and Minter.
The investigation into what happened and when remains ongoing said Noakes, who added that police are still asking witnesses from the scene to come forward and share what they saw that night.
"There was a time when we wouldn't release any information until we were at the conclusion because there's a lot to look at," Noakes said of his decision to release bodycam footage from the incident on Tuesday. "But we know now we need to be transparent. We need to share with the community what we do have. We want to make sure we do that complete investigation before we make any ruling about anything. We ask the community to allow us the time to complete that investigation before we come out with a ruling."
At the same time, Smith's family members are demanding justice and accountability from Fort Worth police.
"They just came into our yard and started blatantly shooting," Smith's sister Nicole Johnson told WFAA of what she witnessed from the police.
Johnson said the annual block party that drew crowds to the area had finished its fireworks display half an hour before the shooting.
"They killed my little brother," Johnson said. "He was still young. He had a whole life to live ahead of him."
After Noakes held a press conference about the shooting, Smith's mother spoke to the public alongside community leader Rev. Kyev Tatum.
Tatum wasn't pleased about the Fort Worth officer not announcing himself or giving any commands before opening fire toward Smith.
"Don't turn a siren on? You just 'pop, pop, pop?' "Tatum said. "We're supposed to accept that as good policing? That's the worst policing I've ever seen. For Noakes to stand up there and say that it's justified -- he needs to step down and let someone else do the job."
Smith's mother, Cynthia, said that her son would have likely complied with the officers if they had asked him to put down his weapon.
"If they had asked him--he is the type of person who would have done that," Smith said. "I don't know how much more of this I can take--but I got to hold on for my baby's sake."
Marcus Steele, 61, also spoke alongside Tatum and Smith's mother. He was shot in the leg and one of the six wounded by the gunfire.
"Before I knew what hit me, I fell on the ground," Steele said.
A woman had to help Steele with his wound to keep him from bleeding.
"I like the truth to come out is all I'd like," Steele said. "I want to know who shot me."
The names of both officers have not been released. They both have a combined 25-plus years of law enforcement experience per officials. When completed, this case will be sent to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office and presented to a grand jury for potential charges.
Law enforcement expert weighs in on shooting
Larry Gordan spent over a decade as a negotiator for the Dallas SWAT team and currently trains officers on de-escalation and other police procedures.
WFAA showed Gordan the bodycam footage that Fort Worth police released and asked him about what he saw.
"I don't see any issues at all. It's a chaotic situation. The officers going to the situation are trying to figure out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy"," Gordan said"
"You can see the suspect who was shot, his posture. He is standing with a gun in his hand pointed down at someone. A reasonable and prudent person would think that person is going to shoot this person again, and so you're trying to prevent the person who was shot initially from getting shot again," he continued.
The officers involved initially did not identify themselves before they shoot, but Gordan said in this situation, they didn't have time to do so and were justified in using force.
"You don't have time to ask a person not to point the weapon at me; you have to use force to stop this deadly threat," Gordan said.
"You can use deadly force to protect the third person, so that is what the officer felt he was doing," he continued.