Fort Worth officer arrested in off-duty shooting says driver was preparing to run him over

The Fort Worth police officer arrested Friday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon says the driver he shot multiple times was preparing to run him over and he was afraid for his safety.

Officer William Martin gave the police department a "good faith recitation" of the facts as he remembers them leading up to the Sept. 3 shooting in a signed statement Thursday, according to his attorney, who sent the document to the Star-Telegram on Saturday. According to the document, Martin hasn't been allowed to listen to the 911 call he made that day or review the statements he made to officers who responded to the incident.

"No rational police officer ever wants to discharge their firearm, much less when in fear for his safety," Martin said in his signed affidavit. "The events were stressful and at times terrifying. I only acted because it was my duty to do so under Texas state law and there were no other officers on scene."

Martin was headed home from work in his personal vehicle, a 2024 Honda Accord, the afternoon of Sept. 3. According to his statement, he was traveling in the inside lane next to the barrier on southbound Interstate 35W. A red pickup truck pulled up beside him and started to move into his lane.

Martin said he moved his vehicle over as far as he could to try to avoid a collision and honked his horn to warn the other driver.

"The driver then looked straight at me and continued to proceed over into my lane," Martin said.

The red truck struck Martin's vehicle, and then started moving toward the far right lane, according to the officer's statement. Martin said he assumed the driver was going to pull over and exchange insurance information with him, but the driver suddenly moved to the left.

At that point, Martin said, he started to think the driver was trying to flee. He called 911, identified himself as an off-duty Fort Worth police officer and reported the accident. He gave the operator his location and continued to follow the truck.

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According to Martin's statement, the truck didn't have a rear bumper, and no rear license plate was visible. At one point, Martin was able to move slightly ahead and check for a front license plate, but he didn't see one, he said.

"If there had been a license plate, I would have noted that to 911 and stopped following," Martin said.

The red truck continued to maneuver through traffic, according to the officer's account. Martin said he stayed on the phone with 911 and tried to keep the vehicle in sight, thinking it was unlikely officers would be able to locate it again once they arrived on the scene.

According to Martin, the truck's driver became more and more aggressive. He changed lanes abruptly and without warning and was going too fast for the present driving conditions. He had near misses with other driver, who had to slam on their brakes to avoid an accident, the officer said.

The dangerous actions of the driver and the fact that the red truck didn't have license plates made Martin wonder if the vehicle was stolen, he said.

"Without knowing the location of responding officers (if any), I believed that I was in the best position to attempt to stop the dangerous actions of the driver," Martin said.

Around East Seminary Drive, Martin was able to get in front of the truck. By using surrounding traffic to box the vehicle in, Martin said, he was able to get the truck to stop. He backed his car to within a few feet of the truck to prevent the driver from taking off again, according to his statement.

Martin said he intended to de-escalate the situation by announcing he was a police officer and then detaining the suspect until on-duty officers could arrive. But as he was putting his car in park, the pickup's driver suddenly accelerated and rammed his vehicle, he said.

According to Martin, he exited his Honda and drew his weapon. As he pointed his gun at the truck and ordered the driver to get out, he said, he heard the engine rev and saw the truck move forward.

"I believe then, as I believe now, that the driver would have run over me had I not taken defensive action," Martin said.

Martin fired his gun, and the driver took off, according to the statement. Martin notified the 911 operator that shots had been fired and followed the truck for a few more miles until on-duty Fort Worth police officers arrived.

The driver, who has been identified by his attorneys as Samuel Christopher, was shot multiple times, according to police. He was treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Christopher's attorneys said he was unarmed at the time of the incident. He's been cooperating with the investigation, but declined to give further comments, the law firm representing him said in a statement Thursday.

Police haven't announced any charges against Christopher.

Martin was placed on restricted duty Sept. 5 pending the results of an investigation into the shooting.

Fort Worth residents who spoke at a Sept. 10 City Council meeting demanded Martin be held accountable . They argued Martin's actions during the Sept. 3 altercation were part of a pattern of aggressive behavior and said he should be removed from the police department before any more residents get hurt.

While some Fort Worth City Council members opted to reserve judgment on the shooting, council member Chris Nettles said he'd like to have the 911 call audio released to the public.

Community activist Gerald Banks Sr. recounted Martin's involvement in the 2016 arrest of Jacqueline Craig — which became a national story — saying the officer could kill someone if he's not held accountable. Video of the arrest that went viral showed Martin wrestle Craig to the ground after she called police during a dispute with a neighbor and she argued with the officer. In 2022, the city agreed to pay Craig $150,000 to settle a lawsuit.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed the evidence in the Jacqueline Craig case in 2022 and determined that "Martin's conduct in this case was not objectively unreasonable" and he was entitled to qualified immunity, according to court documents.

"Once it was leaked (by who?) to the media that the events of September 3, 2024 involved the same officer as was involved in the 'Jackie Craig' case it is our belief that no matter the objective facts of September 3, 2024 the arrest of Officer Martin was a foregone conclusion," Martin's attorney, P. Micheal Schneider, said in a news release Saturday.

The Fort Worth Police Department didn't use Martin's name in its statement regarding the initial hit-and-run shooting investigation but identified him in a news release Friday announcing his arrest.

According to the department's release, investigators determined there was probable cause for Martin to be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Martin voluntarily turned himself at the Tarrant County Jail on Friday, according to Schneider, and was released on bond.

In a statement Friday, Schneider, wrote that, "Officer Martin is innocent of the charges articulated in today's arrest warrant. His actions were wholly in line with the duties of a peace officer under Texas law."

"This case is a prime example of what happens when a police department places political expediency ahead of a thorough and complete investigation of the facts," Schneider wrote. "Thankfully the case will now be in the hands of the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office who we trust will handle this case appropriately and professionally."

A police spokesperson did not release a copy of the arrest warrant and said it would be available from the court clerk's office, which was closed when Martin's arrest was announced Friday evening.

Following the arrest, Martin will be placed on detached duty pending the completion and review of an Internal Affairs investigation, police said in the release.

Martin has been with the police department for 19 years and was assigned to the Support Bureau at the time of the shooting.