![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_Fort_Worth_City_Hall_2_1_4AQB1TPC_L886718259.JPG\" "\\"The")
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The new Fort Worth City Hall on Nov. 14, 2024.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
amccoy@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
A man who was injured in a road rage shooting by an off-duty police officer has sued the city of Fort Worth and its former police chief, alleging the officer should have never been on the force after his involvement in the Jacqueline Craig viral arrest in 2016.<\/p>\n
Samuel Christopher and his wife Mykaela, of Fort Worth, filed the lawsuit Sept. 2 in Tarrant County district court against former officer William Martin, the city and former police chief Joel Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n
Christopher alleges Martin violated his civil rights, claims the city is liable for the department\u2019s policy that caused his injury and accuses Fitzgerald of \u201cdeliberate indifference\u201d that resulted in the 2024 shooting. Christopher and his wife are seeking damages against Martin for \u201cmental anguish,\u201d the loss of family relationships, and the loss of \u201chousehold services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon<\/a> in May, following the September 2024 shooting on Interstate 35W.<\/p>\n Martin called 911 to report that someone had hit his personal vehicle. He followed Christopher\u2019s truck for several minutes before firing his gun multiple times. Christopher, who was unarmed, was struck in his left arm, the bullet narrowly missing his spine.<\/p>\n Martin was arrested and fired from the department after an Internal Affairs investigation found that his level of force during the shooting was unjustified.<\/p>\n 2016 Jacqueline Craig viral arrest<\/p>\n In 2016, Martin was suspended from the department after his violent arrest of Jacqueline Craig drew nationwide attention. A Facebook livestream of the arrest went viral. Body-camera video of the incident showed Martin wrestling Craig to the ground after she called police during a dispute with a neighbor.<\/p>\n Fitzgerald suspended Martin for 10 days without pay following an Internal Affairs investigation. The city paid Craig $150,000<\/a> to settle a lawsuit.<\/p>\n Two officers who conducted the internal investigation into Martin\u2019s use of force sued the city<\/a> for violating the Whistleblower Act, alleging they were retaliated against for recommending to Fitzgerald that Martin be fired.<\/p>\n The Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city<\/a> in that case, determining the Whistleblower Act did not protect the officers.<\/p>\n New lawsuit alleging city was \u2018deliberately indifferent\u2019<\/p>\n During a meeting regarding the Jacqueline Craig investigation, according to the lawsuit, Fitzgerald asked former Assistant Chief Abdul Pridgen and former Deputy Chief Vance Keyes \u2014 the officers who sued the department in 2017 \u2014 for their opinions on how to discipline Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to know my opinion,\u201d Pridgen told Fitzgerald, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n Pridgen told Fitzgerald that his recommendation was to fire Martin because he made a false arrest, lied in his affidavit, and used excessive force.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d Fitzgerald replied. \u201cI don\u2019t want to know what you\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin and Fitzgerald have not been served with the lawsuit, according to Stephen Kotara of Arlington, one of the attorneys representing Christopher\u2019s family.<\/p>\n Martin is due in court in December for his sentencing related to the 2024 road rage incident.<\/p>\n The lawsuit also alleges that the city of Fort Worth and the police department have declined to provide internal records related to the investigation and Martin\u2019s employment records.<\/p>\n \u201cOur message is that this is not just about Officer Martin,\u201d Kotara said.. \u201cIt\u2019s about why he was still a Fort Worth police officer with a badge, a gun, after the city\u2019s own investigators had concluded that he should be fired.\u201d<\/p>\n Fitzgerald was fired from the city of Fort Worth in 2019.<\/a> The city approved a $9.6 million settlement<\/a> with him and two former IT workers who sued alleging their firings were retaliation for whistleblowing.<\/p>\n Fitzgerald could not be reached for comment. He now works as an assistant city manager in East Point, Georgia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the city of Fort Worth said that the city denies the allegations in the lawsuit, but declined to comment further citing pending litigation.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the police department declined to comment.<\/p>\n