By James Hartley
Source Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth police shot and killed a man Sunday while attempting to rescue a hostage being held at gunpoint after the man had already shot her once, according to body camera footage and a statement from Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes.
The woman, 31-year-old Shaelan J. Hill, died at the hospital from the wounds received after J’Quinton D. Hopson, 38, shot her during the chase, according to police and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Body camera video shows the handgun the man is holding does not have a loaded magazine and that the slide of the gun is locked back, indicating that it was unloaded and incapable of firing.
But Noakes said the position of the body cameras, on the chest of the officers, gives a different vantage point than what officers actually see. Officers may not have been able to see that the gun was unloaded and incapable of firing, Noakes said.
“It’s important to remember that our officers were faced with a hostage situation involving a man holding a gun against a woman that he had already shot, causing life-threatening injuries, who was refusing to comply with orders,” Noakes said.
Police responded to the hostage situation after Hill County Sheriff’s Office deputies requested assistance when a police chase that started in their jurisdiction made its way on to Interstate 35W in Fort Worth. Police performed a felony traffic stop in the area of I-35W and Spur 280 in Fort Worth.
Body camera footage shows Fort Worth police approaching the vehicle after saying they needed to rescue Hill. The video shows Hopson in the front seat of the vehicle, holding Hill in front of him as a human shield with his handgun pointed at her abdomen. She had already been shot once.
Police gave Hopson multiple orders to drop the gun. He responded to them, but what he said is not intelligible. It appears he says the words “my wife” multiple times, but anything else he said is not clear.
After giving several commands for Hopson to take his hands off the gun, to which he was not complying, two police officers shot and struck him. Noakes said the officers fired out of fear for the safety of the woman being held hostage.
Hill was taken from the vehicle for medical treatment and police took her to the hospital in a patrol vehicle because it would take too long for an ambulance to reach the scene, Noakes said.
Hopson was a passenger in the car while Hill was the driver. After the vehicle stopped, Hopson shot Hill before Fort Worth police moved in to try to rescue her.
Jeremy Gooch, the police chief in Troy whose officers were involved in the chase before it ended in Fort Worth, said Tuesday it’s unclear where the car originated. Authorities also haven’t said whether Hopson and Hill knew each other or what their relationship may have been.
Fort Worth police had joined the chase after being contacted by police officials in Troy, south of Waco. Noakes said Sunday that Troy police contacted his agency about 7:20 p.m. for assistance in the chase on I-35W heading north.
Gooch said that Troy police had received a report from nearby Belton officials about a reckless driver on the interstate. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Hill County sheriff’s deputies were also involved in the chase.
“The chase didn’t start in Belton, but we received a 911 call about a reckless driver in that area,” Gooch said Tuesday.
After police heard the gunshot from the car, officers moved in, Noakes said.
Officers “formulated a plan and acted,” Noakes said at a news conference Sunday. “They did what they could to try to save that victim despite the danger that was presented.”
Police said the department’s major case and internal affairs units are investigating the shooting and that any findings will be turned over to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office for review and to be presented to the grand jury.
________
©2022 Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Visit star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
