Father seeks answers after Fort Worth police fatally shoot his son at neighborhood party
"My son didn't deserve to get gunned down like that."
That's how Emmitt Mayo began speaking out Saturday about the death of his 26‑year‑old son, Elijah Mayo, who was fatally shot by Fort Worth police during one of two officer‑involved shootings that started at the same location overnight.
As investigators continue piecing together what happened, the father says he's still trying to understand how his son's life ended in gunfire in a neighbor's front yard.
Emmitt Mayo says Elijah had gone to a neighborhood party to perform under his stage name, Eastwood Dub. He says his son never made it to the stage because gunfire erupted before the performance.
"They said, well, we just had a shooting over here," his father said. "So he asked the guy, could I still get my money right for his show and his flyer? And … they had a little altercation behind that."
He says Elijah tried to get away from the situation when the police arrived.
"They fired shots at him first. He returned fire to protect himself," Mayo said.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia said officers found the man armed with a handgun and opened fire after he allegedly pointed it at them and ignored commands to drop it.
The shooting happened in the front yard of neighbor Carolyn Green.
"One thing led to another, and he was laying there the ambulance came out I said, 'That man is dead,'" Green said.
As officers were investigating Elijah Mayo's shooting, Garcia said a driver sped past and allegedly tried to hit officers. A pursuit began, continuing onto I‑820, where police used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle.
Garcia said officers opened fire after the driver ignored commands and grabbed an officer's handgun as they approached the vehicle.
The driver died at the scene and has not yet been identified.
Police have not said whether the two incidents are connected. Meanwhile, Emmitt Mayo says he is still waiting for clarity and wants to understand why his son's night ended in gunfire.
