Fort Worth police released a video Friday showing an officer fire one shot at a fleeing woman suspected of shooting into neighborhood trees, though investigators later found no gun.
The shot struck no one during the July 15 encounter in the 1700 block of Belshire Court. Police identified the woman as 34-year-old Leandra Johnson and said the officer who fired had served with the department for two years.
Calls report neighborhood gunfire
Officers responded at about 8:45 p.m. after several 911 callers described a barefoot black woman in a pink shirt and possibly gray shorts firing a handgun into trees, according to the Fort Worth Police Department. The 911 audio included in the department’s video captures at least one gunshot before officers arrived.
“We’re in a residential lot, and she just shot at our front tree, and now she’s walking down toward our neighbor’s house,” one caller told a dispatcher.
Officer fires during chase
Officers saw Johnson after arriving in a marked patrol vehicle and ordered her to stop, police said. She ran toward a home while carrying a purse. The department said in its statement that an officer saw Johnson reaching inside the purse and feared she was reaching for the reported handgun.
“One officer observed the female reaching inside the purse she was holding. Fearing that the female may be reaching for the weapon, one officer fired his gun,” police said.
The shot missed Johnson, who fell to the ground. The video captures another officer asking, “Why’d you shoot?” as officers move in to detain her. Police did not identify the officer who fired.
Reported handgun remains missing
Police said an extensive search of Johnson, her purse, the home and the surrounding area did not locate a firearm. Investigators recovered an empty gun box with paperwork describing the missing handgun as silver and black, along with ammunition matching a spent shell casing found outside.
Multiple family members were inside the home when the alleged gunfire occurred, and several people moved in and out before officers fully secured the scene after the officer fired, the department said.
Police arrested Johnson for evading arrest or detention and later obtained an additional warrant accusing her of discharging a firearm. The department’s Major Case Unit continues to investigate the officer’s shot. The department has not announced whether investigators found that the officer complied with policy.
Fort Worth police also released footage in May from two fatal officer-involved shootings that occurred hours apart, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Provided by Dallas Express
