Tarrant County meeting spotlights Haltom City mental‑health warrant shooting; family and advocates demand body‑cam release

A Tarrant County Commissioners Court briefing on Feb. 19, 2025, opened a public discussion of an officer‑involved shooting that occurred Jan. 31 during the serving of a mental‑health warrant in Haltom City. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office press release read into the record said deputies attempted to serve a mental‑health warrant on Christopher Loyo and that deputies discharged their firearms after Loyo assaulted a deputy with a knife (later described as a sword under 20 inches). The press release said the injured deputy was transported to a hospital and that the Texas Rangers were asked to lead the criminal investigation.

The issue drew extended exchange between commissioners and sheriff's office representatives, and a long public comment period in which family members, advocates and residents pressed the court and the sheriff for details, accountability and changes in how mental‑health warrants are handled. Reed Bills, who identified himself as Loyo’s brother, said family members were told deputies would take Loyo to a hospital for MHMR evaluation and complained that deputies forced entry, used a Taser and shot him shortly afterward.

Why it matters: speakers said the incident highlights broader questions about how Tarrant County serves people in crisis — specifically…