The man who was fatally shot by a Fort Worth police officer on U.S. 287 after running toward the officer with a sharp object in his hand on Thursday afternoon has been identified.
Jose Juan Lara-Gallegos died from gunshot wounds to the chest, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. The 38-year-old died at the scene. His death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s website.
An officer who was headed northbound on U.S. 287 near East Maddox Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. saw a man leaning over the highway bridge. The man had a sharp object in his hand, according to a Fort Worth Police Department news release, and started cutting himself on the neck.
The officer parked his vehicle and walked toward the man with the intention of getting him off the bridge, Police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a news conference Thursday. It looked like the man was going to jump.
“At one point the individual came back on the other side of the bridge and ran towards the officer with what appeared to be a broken bottle that he had been cutting himself with,” Garcia said.
The officer fired his service weapon, and the man went down, Garcia said. Officers and paramedics tried to revive him, but Lara-Gallegos died shortly before 4:30 p.m.
Detectives with the Major Case Unit and Internal Affairs are investigating the shooting, according to police. The officer involved has been with the department for six years and is assigned to central patrol.
The officer was not injured. Police said they plan to release more information and are checking to see what video is available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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