Video: Man with Broken Glass Charges at Texas Police Officer

Fort Worth police released body camera footage showing an officer as he confronts a man armed with a broken bottle on a busy highway overpass, an encounter that escalated in seconds as the man rushed the officer.

March 17, 2026

3 min read

What to know

Fort Worth police released body camera footage and 9-1-1 audio from a Thursday encounter in which an officer fatally shot a man who charged at him with a broken glass bottle on a highway overpass.
The suspect ignored commands to stop harming himself and then ran toward the six‑year veteran officer, who fired three shots.
The suspect was struck and died at the scene; the incident is under investigation.

By Elissa Jorgensen

Source The Dallas Morning News

Fort Worth police on Monday released body camera video and 911 audio recordings detailing the moments before an officer fatally shot a 38-year-old man running at him with a piece of broken glass near U.S. Highway 287.

The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon on a highway overpass near East Maddox Avenue.

Police said the man, identified as Jose Lara-Gallegos, charged at the responding officer with a broken glass bottle, prompting the officer to open fire.

The officer, who has been with the department for six years, was placed on leave while the major case unit and internal affairs investigate, police Chief Eddie Garcia said. The officer has not been publicly identified.

“I want to acknowledge and recognize my officer involved who was forced to make a difficult decision and will not carry the weight of the incident,” Garcia said during a news conference at the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex.

Police also published recordings of witnesses calling 911 to report seeing Lara-Gallegos standing on the side of the highway holding something to his neck. One witness said he saw Lara-Gallegos “try to attack” the officer before the shooting.

The video shows the officer approaching underneath the overpass as Lara-Gallegos straddles the railing on the side of the highway around 4:03 p.m.

The officer can be heard radioing for backup and saying that when he approached the highway, Lara-Gallegos “acted like he was going to let himself go.”

The officer told Lara-Gallegos to stop cutting his throat, offered to help him out and asked him to drop the glass, the video shows.

As the officer rounds the top of the highway, Lara-Gallegos moves back over the railing and comes toward him with the broken bottle. The officer can be heard telling Lara-Gallegos to stop before firing his weapon three times at about 4:05 p.m.

Officers immediately provided medical assistance to Lara-Gallegos, Garcia said. The Fort Worth Fire Department responded and pronounced him dead around 4:28 p.m.

“Loss of life is never the outcome we hope for any encounter with law enforcement,” Garcia said. “My heart goes out to the individual’s family as they process this tragic loss.”

The department has found no history of mental illness on Lara-Gallegos, though Garcia confirmed he appeared to be experiencing a crisis.

The investigation is still in preliminary stages, Garcia said.

The Fort Worth police news conference occurred as the Dallas Police Department was preparing to hold its own news conference Monday afternoon to provide details about an officer-involved shooting that left a man dead in the parking lot of Children’s Medical Center last week.

Mental health resources

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers confidential calls with trained counselors 24/7, 365 days a year. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24-hour crisis hotline at 800-273-8255. Confidential online chat is available at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Crisis Text Line: To get support, available 24 hours a day, text “HOME” or “HELLO” to 741741. More information is at crisistextline.org.
The Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas allows those seeking help to speak to a trained counselor on the 24-hour hotline at 214-828-1000 or by visiting sccenter.org.
The Here for Texas Mental Health Navigation Line connects North Texans with mental health resources customized to each caller. Call 972-525-8181 or visit HereForTexas.com.

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