The shootout on Tuesday that seriously injured a Fort Worth police officer was captured by the officer’s body camera, police said.
Police have not released the video because it is considered evidence in the investigation.
It shows the father, a fugitive on the run from Parker County, fired at the officer, said police Cpl. Tracey Knight.
Officer Matt Pearce was seriously wounded in the shootout in a wooded area of West Fort Worth, which killed the father, Ed McIver. His son, Ed McIver. Jr., fled and was captured a few hours later.
According to police, the video recorded Pearce shouting into his radio, “Shots fired.”
His camera revealed he also said “Officer down,” but that part was not actually broadcast.
When backup officers arrived, they didn’t realize an officer had been shot. They saw someone’s boots sticking out of the woods and shouted, “Show me your hands,” believing it was McIver Jr.
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Pearce shouted back: “Blue, blue,” to let them know he was an officer.
Pearce, who also is a paramedic, was able to help officers treat his injuries.
"He himself, I can share with you, being an EMT, was able to provide some information about what we should be doing before he was extracated, so there's a lot to be proud of here," said Chief Joel Fitzgerald.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a sergeant fired a shot that hit the father from 275 feet away, said police spokeswoman Cpl. Tracey Knight. That was not captured on the video, she said.
The officer was in a heavily wooded area and a medical helicopter wasn't able to land nearby.
A 4-wheel-drive police SUV got stuck in thick mud twice and other officers pushed it out -- all in the middle of the manhunt for the second gunman, police said.
Fitzgerald said Pearce was “fighting, continuing to fight” but remained in critical condition.
His wife Laura, a nurse, was by his side.
Fitzgerald said Pearce remains sedated but that doctors were considering whether to “wake him” soon.
“I really feel he’s the right guy in this battle,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s everything we thought he was.”
