The body camera footage appears to show Jose Juan Lara-Gallegos, 38, dangling from an overpass in Fort Worth before approaching officers with a sharp object.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth officials released body camera footage of a man shot and killed by police last week on March 12, saying the footage supports the officer’s account that his life was in danger.

Police released the body camera footage during a press conference on Monday, March 16. The incident shut down U.S. 287 during rush hour.

Body camera footage shows the man, Jose Juan Lara-Gallegos, 38, dangling from an overpass in Fort Worth around 4 p.m. Officials also played audio of 911 dispatch receiving calls about Lara-Gallegos. Callers said he was hanging from the overpass and cutting himself.


A Fort Worth police officer can be seen in the video making their way toward Lara-Gallegos and instructing him to drop a sharp object that he was cutting himself with.

Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the situation escalated when the officer got out of his patrol car to convince him to come off the ledge, but Lara ran toward him while still holding the object. The officer then discharged his weapon three times. 

First responders conducted life-saving measures, but Lara-Gallegos was pronounced dead at the scene. 

During the March 16 press conference, Garcia believes using a taser was not an option at the time.

“When the individual came back over and started charging the officer, the officer had no backup,” he said.

Garcia said the officer who shot the man was “forced to make a difficult decision.”

“Incidents like this are tragic for all involved. If that Taser had been ineffective, you saw clearly the individual was raising his arm and attempting to attack my officer,” Garcia said.

Watch Chief Eddie Garcia’s press conference below

The officer involved is a 6-year veteran of the department. He is now on critical incident leave, which is routine, officials said. 

The department’s Major Case Unit and Internal Affairs Division are investigating the shooting, along with a review by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. 

Garica shared that he has talked with the officer about the deadly shooting, saying the officer himself has not watched the bodycam video.