Man shot in face during Fort Worth drive-by shooting, suspect shoots at police officers
Shooting suspect fired at Fort Worth Police at two locations
At two separate locations early Wednesday morning, Fort Worth police officers were fired upon by a suspect later arrested after hiding in a nearby neighborhood's yard. FOX 4's Peyton Yager has more on the suspect also shooting a bystander in the face earlier in the night.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police officers came under fire early Wednesday morning while investigating a drive-by shooting that left a man hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the face, authorities said.
The suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Jeremiah Smith, was arrested after a pursuit and an ensuing 911 call from a resident who reported a man hiding outside their home, according to a police news release.
Fort Worth drive-by shooting arrest
Jeremiah Smith, 22
What we know:
22-year-old Jeremiah Smith was arrested early Wednesday morning after police allege he shot a man in the face in an apparent drive-by shooting in the 12400 block f South Freeway.
Smith faces five charges:
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Aggravated assault causing serious bodily harm
- Tampering with evidence
- Evading arrest
- Aggravated assault against a public servant.
No officers or bystanders were injured in any of the subsequent shootings, police said.
Timeline:
The violence began at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday in the 12400 block of South Freeway. Police said a man was changing a tire in a gas station parking lot when he was shot in the face in an apparent drive-by shooting. The victim's girlfriend was sitting in the passenger side of his vehicle at the time.
A family member who was driving to the gas station to help change the tire arrived just as the shooting occurred, police said. That family member immediately drove the victim and his girlfriend to a local hospital.
Responding officers secured both the gas station crime scene and the hospital.
While officers at the gas station were reviewing surveillance footage at 1:55 a.m., an unknown suspect fired shots in their direction. A short time later, shots were also fired at officers stationed at the hospital, according to authorities.
While gun violence detectives were interviewing the victim's girlfriend at Huguley Hospital, they obtained the name and vehicle description of a suspect.
At about 3 a.m., officers still at the hospital spotted the suspect's vehicle driving by. The occupant opened fire toward the officers before driving away, sparking a police pursuit into a nearby neighborhood where officers temporarily lost sight of the vehicle.
Moments later, a resident called 911 to report that a man had parked a vehicle in their driveway and appeared to be hiding next to their house. Officers located the vehicle and arrested the suspect without further incident.
What they're saying:
"While they were at the gas station gathering information, officers heard shots being fired in the area. A short time aftewards, officers at the hospital also heard shots being fired in their area."
Fort Worth Police Officer Brad Perez explained the timeline of the shooting to FOX 4's Peyton Yager.
"Then, the suspect's vehicle was observed driving by the hospital firing at the officers a second time."
A nearby neighbor tells Yager he's glad the situation ended without anyone else getting hurt.
"I'm glad the neighbors are safe. I'm glad nothing happened. Thank you, Fort Worth PD. That's terrifying," Steven John told Yager.
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the condition of the victim. They did confirm he has been transported to a downtown Fort Worth hospital.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Fort Worth Police Department.