Fort Worth police officer fired after investigation finds excessive force in shooting

A Fort Worth police officer was fired from the department following an investigation into his use of force when he shot a suspect while responding to a burglary call that led to a police chase in 2022, authorities said in a news release Friday.

On the night of Dec. 13, 2022, officers responded to a burglary in progress at C&A Auto Repair in the 2700 block of White Settlement Road. A man, identified by police as 33-year-old Frank Pierce, was reported to have attempted to break in to vehicles at the shop and to have driven away in a vehicle he stole, a black Range Rover, that had been left at the location for repairs.

Officers were also told there was a gun under the driver’s seat, police said.

Nearby officers saw a vehicle that matched the description and tried to conduct a traffic stop, according to police. They said a pursuit ensued when Pierce failed to yield.

During the chase, police deployed spike strips, flattening the tires on the SUV. Pierce tried to make a U-turn from eastbound to westbound at Northwest 28th Street and Chestnut Avenue.

Pierce lost control of the vehicle and drove into a wall on the northwest corner of an intersection, police said. He then tried to back away from the wall.

An officer in a marked police unit pulled in behind the SUV to block the driver from leaving, and police began “giving loud commands ordering the suspect out of the vehicle,” police said in a 2022 news release. “There was no response to these commands. Officers began to break out the back window to get a better view into the stolen vehicle.”

In a video released by Fort Worth police, a sergeant is seen using a baton to break a rear window, and officers in a helicopter say they can see Pierce trying to break the front windshield.

One Fort Worth police officer shouts, “He’s reaching down,” according to the video.

At this point, an officer, identified as Officer Hugo Barron, who was covering the driver’s side door, fired one round with a rifle, shooting Pierce, police said.

Officers removed Pierce from the Range Rover and began providing medical aid before he was taken to the hospital, police said.

In 2022, police confirmed they found a gun inside the vehicle but at that time they were still investigating whether the driver had reached for it.

The police department began an administrative investigation, and Barron was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome.

Evidence in the case was presented to a Tarrant County grand jury, which declined to indict Barron on any criminal charges. The department’s Internal Affairs Unit then concluded its investigation, and Barron’s chain of command determined that the level of force he used was unjustified.

Police Chief Neil Noakes concurred with the chain of command’s determination and fired Barron from the department.

“The Fort Worth Police Department is filled with officers who do the job right every day. In this case, Officer Barron did not conduct himself in a manner that represents the professionalism of our officers. Our department will continue to hold employees accountable who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer,” the department said in the news release Friday.

Barron had been with the police department for 10 years and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau at the time of the shooting.

Pierce pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a vehicle and evading arrest in the case and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, according to court records.