Former Fort Worth Police Officer William Martin pleaded guilty this month after he shot a man in a hit-and-run incident while off duty. He was later fired by FWPD.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A former Fort Worth police officer who shot a man while off duty following a hit-and-run incident has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, court documents reveal.
William Martin worked for the department for 19 years and was fired in October 2024 in connection with the shooting. Previously, Martin was also involved in the controversial 2016 arrest of Jacqueline Craig, a Black woman who initially called police to complain about a neighbor grabbing her son’s neck. The subsequent violent arrest of Craig went viral and resulted in widespread protests against the Fort Worth Police Department.
The guilty plea stems from a September 2024 incident.
According to previous WFAA reporting, Martin called 911 after being involved in a hit-and-run. The department initially said Martin told the 911 operator that the other driver hit his car on Interstate 35W near East Morningside Drive and then drove off. According to the statement, Martin started following the truck.
Martin then told the 911 operator that the driver tried to ram into his car. Police say Martin then shot at the man multiple times. The other driver was hit, taken to the hospital and survived his injuries.
In October, the former officer was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and fired from his position, WFAA previously reported. At the time of his arrest, Martin’s attorney issued a statement saying they intended to fight the charges and prove his innocence.
“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,” Martin’s attorney P. Micheal Schneider, previously said in a statement to WFAA. “My only hope is that Officer Martin’s exoneration will be covered as universally and completely as his unmerited arrest today.”
WFAA reached out to Schneider for a statement on the guilty plea but did not immediately hear back.
Schneider previously said the Fort Worth Police Department unfairly targeted Martin due to his previous involvement in the Craig arrest, according to previous WFAA reporting.
Video of Martin arresting Craig gained more than 5 million views and prompted protests in Fort Worth. Marchers called for Martin and police chief Joel Fitzgerald to be fired. Martin was suspended for 10 days without pay following the incident.
Craig later sued the city, accusing Martin of using excessive force. She also alleged that Fort Worth policymakers — specifically Fitzgerald, Mayor Betsy Price and the Fort Worth City Council — failed to identify, supervise or discipline officers who used excessive force.
Fitzgerald was fired in May 2019 after serving as police chief for three-and-a-half years.
In 2022, Fort Worth paid Craig $150,000 to settle the suit. Craig died in 2023. Her daughter, who witnessed her arrest, said her mother would want justice.
“One thing my mama went through that and one thing she always said, she wanted to go through so nobody else would have to go through it,” Craig previously told WFAA.
A Tarrant County jury will decide Martin’s sentence. The trial is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Aug. 12, according to court documents.