A Fort Worth police officer involved in a fatal high-speed chase will not face criminal charges

A Tarrant County jury declined to bring criminal charges against a Fort Worth police officer who fatally crashed into an uninvolved driver while pursuing a stolen vehicle last year. CBS News first reported.

Andre Craig, 57, was driving through the intersection of Rosedale Street and Evans Avenue on July 6, 2023, when an unknown police officer in a marked SUV struck him, ejecting Craig from his car. He died at the scene.

Officers pursued a suspected stolen Dodge Challenger and attempted to stop the car by turning on lights and sirens and using tire pressure monitors. Witnesses said Craig had the green light when an officer pulled into him.

The driver of the suspected stolen vehicle, 19-year-old Brian Hunter, is charged with evading arrest by vehicle, causing death.

Craig’s death sparked questions from family and the public about the Fort Worth Police Department’s pursuit policy, and questions about whether the officer who struck Craig – whose name FWPD has not released – was following department pursuit policies in the July 2023 pursuit has.

After Craig’s death, the city initially refused to disclose the FWPD’s pursuit policy at the request of several media organizations. When the Texas attorney general’s office ruled that Fort Worth must release some of its records, the city sued to keep those records secret, arguing in court documents that releasing the policy would affect police response to chases and endanger the public.

Meanwhile, other police departments told KERA News and the Fort Worth Report they are making their policies publicly available to prioritize transparency. The city’s lawsuit is still pending, but the department later released portions of its tracking policy with redactions.

Craig’s sister did not respond to a KERA News request for comment on the grand jury no law, but previously called the city’s efforts to keep tracking policies secret “reprehensible” and said she was concerned about the city’s lack of transparency .

Craig’s father, Uriel Lemon Brown, also sued the city of Fort Worth earlier this year, accusing the officer and the city of negligence and recklessness that he said led to his son’s death during the high-speed chase.

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