In their search for Ed McIver Jr, Fort Police searched houses room-by-room before then moving on to out-buildings and sheds. It was a night one lifelong Fort Worth resident won't ever forget.
Jim Turner's back on the lawnmower Wednesday -- finishing up chores he started Tuesday afternoon before he heard flurries of gunfire.
"It was, 'Pow! pow! pow!' A pause, and then, 'Pow! pow!' And I told [my wife] that was gunfire and we weren't opening the doors," the 82-year-old said from his backyard.
The police foot-chase and shootout was close to his rural Fort Worth home off Longvue Avenue. Before long, his property was swarming with officers.
"I saw eight or 10 on the hill walking down this way; and where the cows are over there I saw another group of 10 or 12," he said, pointing to the pasture. "And then there were four or five men walking this valley right here."
Two officers came to the door and told Turner what was going on and asked to search his house and stay on his property with him.
"They all were very professional. Kind. Direct," he said. "Focused."
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Two other officers walked over to search the large well-house. Turner went with them with the key to unlock the door and explain the layout.
The police told Turner there was a large hole where an old window used to be toward's the top of the shed that could have been used to gain entry without having to break through the door.
"So I unlocked the door for them and then as these doors begin to open I got out of the way this way, and [one officer] got out of the way this way, and another officer drew his gun," he explained.
In that moment, the 82-year-old said a quick prayer. He'd lived at the house for more than 40 years.
"I was thinking just trust in the officer, that he knows what to do if something was found that shouldn't be. And then I thought also, I asked the Lord to be with me in that moment," he said.
It ended with a peaceful arrest miles away, deep in the woods. Police told Turner that McIver Jr. likely kept on running and didn't try to hide out near homes, but rather in a thicket of brush deeper in the wilderness.
Turner gave the patrolling officers who were canvassing the area bottles of cola; other nearby homeowners also handed out drinks and water. Someone even lent police their ATV to search.
In a tweet Wednesday, the Fort Worth Police Department noted the civility and cooperation of nearby homeowners and said, "Thank you."
