Attorneys for man shot by off-duty Fort Worth police officer speak out
FORT WORTH — Attorneys for the man shot by an off-duty Fort Worth police officer are speaking out.
Tuesday morning, Samuel Christopher's attorneys said he suffered multiple gunshot wounds, one barely missing his spine. They also said Officer William Martin was not in uniform and in his personal vehicle rather than a patrol car.
"Officer Martin did not display a badge or otherwise identify himself as a law enforcement officer. There was no way for Christopher to know the person pointing a weapon at him was a Fort Worth police officer," said Doug Hafer, Christopher's attorney.
Martin, who has been with the Fort Worth PD for 19 years, was off duty on Sept. 3 when he shot Christopher, who he claimed was trying to ram him with his vehicle after a hit-and-run.
A court document indicates that Martin got out of his car with a handgun and pointed it at Christopher. Attorneys said their client feared for his life and began to drive away. That's when Martin fired three shots, striking him.
Martin was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Martin's attorney, P. Micheal Schneider, said the officer surrendered to the Tarrant County Jail on Friday and was released on bond.
He is still employed by the Fort Worth Police Department, currently on detached duty, pending an internal affairs investigation.
This was not the first high-profile incident involving Martin. In 2016, a video circulated of Martin slamming Jacqueline Craig to the ground and arresting her. Craig called 911 to report a neighbor attacking her child. Martin was suspended for 10 days but kept his job. Craig sued the city for excessive force, but a federal appeals court eventually ruled that Martin had qualified immunity. The case was settled, with Craig awarded $150,000. She died in 2023.
Craig's family expressed relief after learning Martin had been arrested for a new incident.
"Money was never the goal. The goal was to get Officer Martin terminated and hold him accountable for his actions," Craig's cousin Rod Smith recently said to CBS News Texas.