Lawyer Defends Fort Worth Officer Involved In Shooting
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The attorney for a Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed a 32-year-old man who was allegedly evading arrest Monday night defended his client Wednesday.
The police department identified the officer as J. Romer. He's been with FWPD since January 2009, and has eight years experience as a police officer.
Romer shot and killed Charal Thomas, 32, Monday as he tried to flee from police in his SUV, police said. Thomas' three children were in the car at the time.
"In these instances, every police officer has to be aware of all surroundings, all their vision, everything beyond what they feel was a threat and that was the case here," said Chief Jeffrey Halstead.
In a news release Tuesday, a police spokesman said Romer did not know there were children in the car.
"This is not a situation an officer ever wants to be involved in," Romer's attorney Lancy Wyatt said.
Romer asked Thomas to step out of the SUV because he was under arrest for outstanding misdemeanor warrants. Instead, police said Thomas locked the door.
When the officer reached inside to unlock it, his attorney said Thomas rolled up the window, trapping Romer's left arm in the car, before speeding off. A surveillance video from a nearby gas station shows Thomas' black Sport Utility Vehicle pull in. Behind him is a prisoner transport van and a patrol car. Several officers go back and forth to the SUV. Then Thomas speeds off.
"[Romer is] running alongside the vehicle, thankfully there were running boards so he was able to jump onto the vehicle, and thankfully he somehow was able to extricate his arm from the window to hold onto the vehicle as this guy is speeding and swerving left to right trying to throw him from the car." Wyatt said.
"The potential of being run over in that situation or suffering a fatal head injury from jumping from a moving vehicle, it was not a viable option," he added.
A police spokesman said Halstead met with community leaders Wednesday to discuss the incident and to hear questions and concerns.
"We know that there are three children that will forever be impacted by this," Halstead said. "And so we will take our time with the investigation, so that everything is accurate and methodical and it meets the expectations of every citizen."
Community leaders said they met to discuss ways to prevent another similar situation.
"It went well," said B.E. George, president of Ministers Against Crime. "This was a time we needed to express ourselves."
