The estranged husband of a woman shot and killed by an Arlington police officer is coming to her defense, and in some ways to the defense of the officer.
The shooting happened Thursday when police were called to conduct a welfare check on a woman who was reportedly passed out in a grassy area near Cantor Drive and North Collins Street in Arlington.
The woman was identified as 30-year-old Margarita Victoria Brooks.
As the officer approached her, her dog is seen on his body camera video barking and running toward him.
The officer steps back then shoots toward the dog, missing it.
Brooks is then heard yelling she’d been shot. She later died at the hospital.
"She was a good person, good soul," Steven Smith said.
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Smith displayed a tattoo with "Maggie" across his arm.
It is a permanent and constant reminder of a woman he said left a mark on his life.
"There was definitely a time in our lives when things weren't the way they are now," he said.
He said he and Brooks met while working at a Subway restaurant. The two wed in 2009, but separated in 2015.
Smith, who has since changed his legal name, said the two remained in touch off-and-on over the years for their two sons, who are eight and 10 years old.
Smith said he wanted to speak on Brooks' behalf because she has been referred to as a homeless woman known to panhandle in the Arlington neighborhood.
Brooks, he said, battled demons in recent years and ended up on the streets at times.
"She had her struggles, but she was a good mother and she loved those boys and her face would light up when she talked about them," Smith said.
That all changed last Thursday when a rookie officer reportedly tried to shoot Brooks' charging dog, a 40-pound lab mix, but shot Brooks instead.
"It still bothers me that that was the last moments she had on this earth," Smith said.
However, when it comes to the 25-year-old officer's actions, Smith offered some grace.
"He didn't wake up that morning thinking that that was going to go that way for him either," Smith said. "We can sit here and say he could've done this, he should've done that, but at the end of the day the man has to live with it… Her life was taken from her and sending a man to jail isn't going to bring her back."
Smith said he believed the officer needed to be held accountable, perhaps even charged for his negligence.
"She was taken too soon," Smith said. "She was never able to fulfill her dreams and live up to her potential."
The officer, 25, graduated from the police academy in February.
He is still on standard paid leave pending the outcome of two investigations, according to the Arlington Police Department.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said it had not yet received the case from Arlington police.
Once the case is handed over to the district attorney's office, it will be presented to a grand jury.
Brooks was the daughter of Troy Brooks, a captain at the Arlington Fire Department. Brooks released the following statement through his attorney.
"Our family is in absolute shock over Maggie's senseless death. The circumstances of her death make it that much harder to accept. There are no words to describe our deep pain. We are truly touched by all of the prayers and outpouring of support from our friends and community. That said, our family asks for privacy during this difficult time while we deal with our tragic loss."
