Body-camera video released by the Arlington Police Department on Thursday shows the moments leading up to when a 56-year-old man with a knife was fatally shot by a police officer.
Officers had responded to a suicidal person call in the 1700 block of West Lovers Lane about 10:45 p.m. on Sept. 17.
Chief Al Jones told reporters at a Thursday morning news conference that all Arlington police officers receive training in crisis intervention and de-escalation tactics.
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“Our officers respond to mental health calls every day,” Jones said. “They go to these calls wanting a positive outcome for everyone.”
According to police, four officers were dispatched to the home after a 911 caller reported that David Eversole was making suicidal comments and had access to knives. Body-camera video footage shows the officers arriving at the front door.
The man who called 911 met them and said his boyfriend’s father “had been talking suicidal stuff the past hour. Now we’re getting to homicidal stuff,” the man said. He told officers that Eversole was in a back room of the house, and Eversole’s son was trying to talk to him.
“He’s not going to be happy that you guys are here,” the 911 caller warned as the officers walked toward the back room. The door was closed and somebody could be heard yelling inside. One of the officers knocked on the door and instructed Eversole’s son to come out.
An older man can be seen in the back part of the room. “Get away from me!” he yells at the officers. “I got a knife.” He starts to move toward the police officers with a large knife in his hand, the video shows.
The officers instruct Eversole to drop the weapon, and one of the officers can be seen standing in the doorway with his service weapon pointed at Eversole.
The officers keep telling the 56-year-old to drop the knife. The 911 caller can be heard in the background asking police not to shoot him.
Eversole yells at the officers to back up. The officer in front lowers his gun and they start backing away from the door, but Eversole moves toward them with the weapon still in his hand. The front officer fires his gun, and Eversole falls to the ground.
The officers immediately report “shots fired” over their radio and call for EMS. According to police, the officers gave Eversole first aid until the paramedics arrived.
Eversole died at Medical City Arlington Hospital less than an hour after the shooting. His cause of death was a gunshot wound to the left arm that went into the torso, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website. His death has been ruled a homicide.
No officers or bystanders were injured. Jones told reporters that this was “a tough situation” for the officers.
Arlington Chief of Police Alexander Jones answers questions about a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Sept. 17, during a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Arlington. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“This is very difficult,” Jones said. “These calls are very unpredictable, especially when someone introduces a weapon.”
The criminal and administrative investigations into the shooting are ongoing. The four responding officers were placed on administrative leave per department policy right after the shooting, Jones said, but have since returned to work.
None of the officers have been publicly identified. Jones said the officer who fired the shots had been with the Arlington Police Department for 15 years.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harriet Ramos covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.