Fort Worth Police Department Fire Officer William Martin for an off-duty shooting

FORT WORTH, Texas – Fort Worth police officer William Martin, who was at the center of a controversial arrest in 2016, was fired following an off-duty shooting in September.

Martin was in his Honda Accord on Sept. 3 when he claimed a Ford F-150 struck his car near I-35W and Morningside Drive and took off.

The officer said he pursued the driver, Samuel Christopher, after seeing him as a threat to public safety.

Martin then got out of his car and pointed a gun at Christopher.

Christopher claimed he feared for his life and tried to drive away, but Martin fired three shots, hitting and wounding him.

“All witnesses stated that Martin was in no danger of being struck by Christopher’s vehicle,” an affidavit accompanying Martin’s arrest warrant states.

Martin and Christopher told conflicting stories about the incident.

The officer was initially placed on restricted duty while the Internal Affairs Division investigated the incident.

On September 20, Martin was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Martin was then placed on special duty.

After a review of the internal investigation, Martin’s chain of command concluded that the level of force used in the incident was unjustified.

Fort Worth Police Chief Neal Noakes agreed with the assessment and fired Martin.

“The Fort Worth Police Department is full of officers who do their jobs right every day. Our department will continue to hold accountable employees who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth police officer, and we will continue to do so.” “We are transparent and open with our community,” it said in a statement the Fort Worth Police Department.

Martin had been with the Fort Worth Police Department for 19 years.

Arrest of Jacqueline Craig

Martin’s legal team previously claimed police were “motivated” to arrest their client by a 2016 incident that was captured on video and drew national attention.

Martin was accused of using excessive force to arrest Jacqueline Craig and her daughter after Craig called police to complain about her neighbor.

The video showed Martin wrestling Craig and one of their daughters to the ground.

Martin served a 10-day suspension and the city ultimately settled a civil rights lawsuit with the Craig family for $150,000.