FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth police officer who was suspended after he was arrested for shooting a man while off duty last month was fired Friday, the department confirmed.
Officer William Martin was arrested Sept. 20 on complaints of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
Martin told police a driver hit his car as he was going southbound on I-35W near East Morningside Drive Sept. 3 and drove off, so he followed the truck, according to police. Martin told police the driver of the Ford F-150 tried to ram into his car and he shot at the man driving the truck multiple times, according to police.
Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes discussed the decision and how the department might learn from the incident going forward in an exclusive interview with WFAA.
"We had a situation where things weren’t done the way that we would expect a Fort Worth officer to conduct themself on duty or off duty,” Noakes said. “The way that we can learn from this is as we dived into the investigation, as we’re able to find out the information we could, find out if there’s anything that needs to change on our end. Is there a policy that needs to change? Is there a policy that needs to change? Is there training that needs to change?”
Noakes also addressed the police department’s relationship with the community in the interview.
"The thing that bothers me the most is the negative impact this could have on the relationship we have with the community and the perception of the officers. We have so many good people doing so many good things every day," he said. "We’ve got to be more proactive as police, as a profession, about initiating the engagement...by bringing in some of those formal and informal leaders in the community, we can sit around and have hard conversations.”
According to Martin's warrant, the other driver, Samuel Christopher, told police he was not aware of any collision, but noticed Martin closely following him, constantly changing lanes to stay behind his vehicle. Unaware Martin was a police officer, he tried to get away, but Martin sped past him and pulled his vehicle in front of Christopher, causing his truck to collide with Martin's vehicle, according to the warrant.
After the crash, Christopher reportedly told police he tried to drive away as Martin had got out with the handgun, at which point Martin shot at him three times, the warrant stated.
Martin was placed on restricted duty after his arrest, meaning he was reassigned to an administrative position with no police powers, according to the department.
“After a thorough review of the Internal Affairs investigation, Officer Martin’s chain of command determined that the level of force used was unjustified,” Fort Worth police said in a statement Friday. “Chief Noakes concurred with the chain of command’s determination and terminated Officer Martin’s employment with the department.”
The attorney representing Officer Martin released the following statement after Martin's firing Friday:
"Officer William Martin’s termination by Chief Neil Noakes today was the foreseeable result of a garbage investigation. It was obvious from the start that the FWPD leadership decided the outcome they wanted and ignored the mountain of evidence to the contrary. This case should serve as a warning to all current FWPD Officers: Despite your sworn duty under state law, if you see a crime being committed and citizens placed in danger while you are off duty it’s probably best that you ignore it and turn your back…because this administration will almost certainly turn their back on you."
Martin was also involved in the controversial arrest of Jacqueline Craig. Video of that arrest went viral and sparked outrage throughout the Fort Worth community.
Martin was suspended for 10 days without pay following the incident. Craig sued the city for excessive force, but a federal appeals court eventually ruled that Martin had qualified immunity. The case was settled in 2022, with Craig being awarded $150,000. She died in 2023.
At one point during the interview Friday, Noakes directly apologized to Craig's family.
“I’m sorry. This was a Fort Worth police officer. This is not representative of everyone in our department, but he was wearing a badge,” he said.
Lawyers for Martin have argued that the Craig case has played a role in the current investigation involving him from the beginning.
Martin has been with FWPD for 19 years and was assigned to the Support Bureau at the time of the incident.
“The Fort Worth Police Department is filled with officers who do the job right every day,” Fort Worth police said. “Our department will continue to hold employees accountable who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer, and in doing so, we will continue to be transparent and open with our community.”
Council member Chris Nettles praised the decision by Fort Worth police.
"I stand with Chief Noakes in his decision. Residents have reported to me that in some of these encounters, he was not following the appropriate techniques or the training provided by our Police Department," Nettles said. "These actions and conduct are unacceptable in Fort Worth and I am glad to see where we draw the line."
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