FORT WORTH — Newly filed court documents show at least one Fort Worth PD officer could be charged in the case of a fatal police chase that occurred last summer. It happened last July, south of downtown, when officers were chasing a car that had been reported stolen.
That car made it through the intersection of Rosedale and Evans, but the police cruiser behind it collided with an SUV driven by Andre Craig. The 57-year-old died in the crash.
Weeks later the department released a heavily redacted report of the incident, which showed the chase lasted two miles and reached speeds of up to 100 miles an hour on a street where the speed limit is 30.
Craig’s family maintains that he had the green light, something they were told by witnesses but which has not been addressed by FWPD.
In the eight months since that day, the department has remained largely silent, but now a civil lawsuit filed by Craig’s family is revealing new details.
In a recent filing, the city’s attorneys say the police department is “conducting a criminal investigation to determine whether the involved officer acted negligently or reckless,” adding that that “will be the exact question the city will present to a Tarrant County grand jury.”
The city and the police department have not identified the officer.
“There’s no question that this officer acted negligent as well as reckless,” said Daryl Washington, who represents the Craig family.
Washington told the I-Team he, too, learned of the criminal investigation through the filing.
In the filing, the city says it is being forced into a “conundrum,” investigating the officer for criminal charges while also defending the officer’s actions in a civil lawsuit. That’s why the city says it is asking the judge to delay the family’s lawsuit for six months.
Criminal attorney Jeremy Rosenthal is not involved in the case but has read the filing. He says the city of Fort Worth is in a tricky position.
“I think you could also say that they’ve filed a motion to have their case and eat it, too. There’s certainly nothing barring them from settling the case now, but they want to hold on,” said Rosenthal. “And I think they want to see what happens through the criminal investigation.”
Fort Worth PD told the I-Team its investigation into the officer is completed and “is currently undergoing the final review and approval, and will be handed over to the DA’s office in short order. The timing of presentation to a grand jury will be up to the DA.”
Meanwhile, the man accused of driving the stolen car in that pursuit had his first day in court yesterday. Brian Hunter, 19, is charged with Evading Arrest or Detention With a Vehicle Causing Death. He is currently out on bond.
The City of Fort Worth is also continuing its legal fight to keep the police department’s complete pursuit policy a secret.
While the department has released a redacted version, it has refused to make the entire policy public.
CBS News Texas and other news organizations filed an open records request, which the Attorney General of Texas granted. Instead of releasing it though, the city is now suing the AG.
A nonprofit has partnered with the Topeka, Kansas, community to ensure immigrants have more than just a roof over their heads. Janet Shamlian has more.
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Topeka, Kansas — When Angelica Chernytska and her mother Larysa left war-torn Ukraine earlier this year, they never expected Topeka, Kansas, would quickly feel like home.
“I was overwhelmed, that is how I can describe my feelings,” Angelica told CBS News.
That’s because the people of this Midwestern city have created a modern-day welcome wagon.
“It’s very rewarding to see the children thrive in school, not afraid of sirens,” said Yana Ross, president of the nonprofit group Top City Promise.
Ross, who immigrated from Ukraine herself, started the volunteer group to help new immigrants, mostly Ukrainians so far, with almost all expenses for three months, including a place to live.
Larysa said she “was overwhelmed” to walk into a fully furnished apartment the day after she arrived in Topeka.
What is unique is how the group has partnered with the community to ensure the immigrants have more than just a roof over their heads. A Latter-day Saints church welcomes the newcomers to pick up free food, while a Catholic church stores donations that furnish the homes.
Topeka Public Schools has gone as far as hiring a director of cultural innovation, Dr. Pilar Mejía, who helps ease the transition for children.
“We need to strengthen our community from the ground up, and it starts with the children, and so we need to make sure that everybody feels like they’re important,” Mejía said. “They are seen, they are welcomed.”
Topeka Public Schools now has an international flair. In the district of almost 13,000, Ukrainian and Spanish are the most common languages after English. More than 200 refugees have benefitted from the program and the helping hand extends to all nationalities.
Lisbeth Amador came from Nicaragua with her husband and 6-year-old daughter Sury. The couple have jobs, a car and a good school for Sury.
“I love it,” Amador says of her family’s new home. “…It’s different, my life here.”
The cost of welcoming a family can range anywhere from $300 to $10,000 depending on needs. Top City Promise relies on fundraising and the big hearts of the people who call Topeka home.
“Community is what makes Topeka different, because of the desire of the Topeka community to help, to help them to be successful,” Ross said.
Janet Shamlian is a CBS News correspondent based in Houston, Texas. In a career that spans three decades, Shamlian has covered many of the biggest national and international stories of our time.
