Ex-Fort Worth officer pleads guilty in off-duty road rage shooting
Former Fort Worth officer pleads guilty in road rage shooting
An ex-Fort Worth Police Officer has pleaded guilty in an off-duty road rage shooting incident, and could face up to 20 years in prison. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A former Fort Worth police officer has pleaded guilty to charges related to a road rage shooting.
Fort Worth Road Rage Shooting
What's new:
William Martin pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He now faces a punishment of between two and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
A Tarrant County judge is expected to issue that sentence in August.
The backstory:
Martin is a former Fort Worth police officer who was fired in 2024 following a road rage shooting that happened while he was off duty.
Police said Martin was in his Honda Accord and claimed the driver of a Ford F-150 hit his car near Interstate 35W and Morningside Drive. The other driver took off.
Off-duty Fort Worth officer shot man as he was trying to drive away, attorney claims
The attorney representing the man who was shot by an off-duty Fort Worth police officer laid out his client's version of events on Tuesday. Those events are very different from those described by Officer William Martin, who has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Martin pursued the other driver, got out of his car, and pointed a gun at the other driver.
The other driver told police he feared for his life, so he began to drive away. That’s when Martin fired three shots, hitting and injuring the other driver.
Police said Martin and the other driver initially gave conflicting stories about what happened.
Martin was ultimately arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and fired for unjustified use of force.
Fort Worth police fire officer William Martin over off-duty shooting
Fort Worth Police say that Officer William Martin's use of force was "unjustified" when he shot a man over a traffic incident.
Jacqueline Craig Arrest
Big picture view:
Martin was also at the center of a controversial arrest in 2016 that attracted national attention.
He was accused of using excessive force while arresting Jacqueline Craig and her daughter, after Craig called the police to complain about her neighbor.
Video showed Martin wrestling Craig and one of her daughters to the ground.
He served a 10-day suspension and the city ended up settling a civil lawsuit with the Craig family for $150,000.
What they're saying:
"It was very clear from the beginning that he had gone overboard with this."
Bob Ray Sanders, a former journalist and advocate in the Fort Worth community, says the plea agreement shows accountability and is a step towards justice.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Officer William Martin charged in off-duty shooting
William Martin, a Fort Worth police officer who was at the center of a controversial 2016 arrest, has been arrested in connection to an off-duty shooting earlier this month.
"The fact that the police eventually charged him with a crime said something. That gave the community some relief, that the community is now acting," Sanders said.
The attorney representing Samuel Christopher, the driver shot in the 2024 incident, gave the following statement to FOX 4:
"Sam and his wife Mykaela are grateful for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Office’s diligent prosecution of Martin and look forward to justice being served at the sentencing hearing."
The Source: The information in this story is from court documents and past news coverage.