The Fort Worth Police Department has released body-camera video from an officer who fatally shot a man who ran toward the officer with a broken glass bottle in his hand last week.
Multiple people reported that the man was hanging over the side of a highway bridge on U.S. 287 near East Maddox Avenue on March 12, according to 911 audio also released by the department at a news conference on Monday. An officer who was driving nearby shortly after 4 p.m. saw 38-year-old Jose Juan Lara-Gallegos leaning over the bridge and cutting his neck with the glass, Chief Eddie Garcia said.
The bodycam footage shared by the department shows the officer put on black gloves as he walks up a hill, climbs onto the bridge and starts to approach Lara along the shoulder of the highway.
“Stop cutting your throat,” the officer can be heard yelling in the video. Multiple cars can be seen passing as the officer moves toward Lara.
Lara can then be seen climbing back onto the bridge, walking onto the highway and coming toward the officer with the glass bottle raised in his hand, Chief Garcia said. “Come on, help me out. Go ahead and drop the bottle,” the officer commands in the video.
Seconds after that, “Stop right there. Stop, get back,” the officer says. Three shots can be heard as the officer fires his gun. “We got shots fired. Suspect is down,” the officer reports.
In another clip, officers can be seen rendering medical aid to the bleeding man as they say, “Stay awake.”
Lara died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the chest, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
In audio of one 911 call, a man can be heard saying, “The guy was about to attack the police, and the police shot him.”
Callers also reported that they thought Lara was going to jump off the bridge.
Chief calls shooting tragic outcome
“Loss of life is never the outcome we hope for in any encounter with law enforcement,” Chief Garcia said at Monday’s news conference. “My heart goes out to this individual’s family as they process this tragic loss, but I also want to acknowledge and recognize my officer involved who was forced to make a difficult decision and will now carry the weight of this traumatic incident.”
“The sad reality is that this individual’s actions ultimately dictated this tragic outcome. Incidents like this are tragic for all involved as they serve as a difficult reminder of the unpredictable and dangerous situations our officers sometimes face while working tirelessly to protect our city,” Garcia said.
When reporters asked about community concerns over not using a Taser, Garcia said, “When he was hanging off the bridge, first and foremost it certainly wasn’t a time to use a Taser because if it had been used, we know how that would have ended.”
He said the officer had no backup if his Taser would have been ineffective and had no choice but to shoot. “You saw clearly that the individual did not have his arm raised for no reason, but he was trying to attack my officer.”
Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia gives an update on Monday, March 16, 2026, concerning an officer-involved shooting that took place on March 12. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Lara was not homeless and has a family, and the department has no history of previous mental health calls in connection with him, Garcia said. “He was obviously going through some sort of mental health crisis,” but what led to that situation remains under investigation, the chief said.
Lara’s family has not wished to see the video to this point, the chief said.
This is the first fatal shooting involving Fort Worth police since Garcia became chief late last year. He said when police officials present a video publicly, they want to be confident in the information they are sharing and that the process will move quickly once they reach that point, similar to this case.
“I’m not quite certain there’s anything else my officer could have done in that situation,” Garcia said. “I guarantee this officer wished that the individual would have come back over the bridge, dropped the bottle, and we would be able to apprehend them safely.”
The officer, who has been with the department for six years and works with central patrol, is on routine leave during investigations by the Major Case Unit and Internal Affairs.
Department leaders want to make sure that they have a strong system in place where the officer “feels mentally steady and is able to come back and protect his community, which is what he did that day,“ Garcia said.
Garcia said the residents who dialed 911 during the incident showed a strong level of trust in the city and in public safety officials responding to what was happening.
He said those witnesses saw something traumatic. “My heart goes out to them for seeing such a traumatic and tragic incident that they may never see for the rest of their lives.”
If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts, there is help available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
This story was originally published March 16, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
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Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.