Body, dash-camera footage show Fort Worth police pursue, shoot suspect Wednesday

A 31-year-old man shot by police made threats of shooting his wife and himself over a FaceTime call to relatives during a nine-minute pursuit, according to new information from Fort Worth police.

Fort Worth police shot Alejandro Molina Cornelio on Wednesday night after they said he tried to use a shotgun to abduct his estranged wife and their children, then returned for a second attempt. Molina Cornelio has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault.

He was taken to a local hospital after the shooting in critical condition and remains that way, according to police.

Police said when they arrived at the home in the 3200 block of Olive Place, Molina Cornelio was gone. His vehicle information was put into a camera system on police vehicles, and police located him that way. When police tried to conduct a traffic stop, he fled, heading back toward the house.

Based on the way he was running from officers and the FaceTime calls made to relatives in the neighborhood, police said they believed Molina Cornelio was heading back to the scene of the original domestic disturbance. Officers were in the process of moving the victims to another location, but because of his proximity to the scene decided instead to block of streets to keep him away from the house.

After avoiding at least one police roadblock, police dash-camera footage shows the suspect’s truck making a wide turn and ramming police vehicles before one of the officers pursuing it rammed the left side of the truck bed. The video includes audio that appears to be police firing gunshots.

It is not yet clear based on the video and information released by police whether Molina Cornelio fired at police or if he showed a gun to officers, prompting them to open fire. Police previously said a shotgun was recovered from his vehicle.

911 audio

In one 911 call released by police, the caller who identified herself as Molina Cornelio’s sister said he had shown up to the house with a gun and was demanding his wife come outside.

“He’s outside. He’s right outside, on the grass looking through the window,” the woman tells the 911 operator. “He has — he’s pointing a gun at the house.”

In the panicked 911 call, the woman tells police there are seven children in the home with her, her mom and her sister-in-law. Then she tells police he’s trying to break into the home.

“Oh my gosh, he’s at the door,” she says. “He’s trying to break the door down. ... Oh my gosh ... oh my gosh ... oh my gosh, he’s inside.”

She begs police to hurry as people can be heard screaming in the background.

“Ma’am, I’m pregnant. Please hurry,” the woman begs. “Please, please, you have to hurry. I have a 1-year-old.”

The call audio ends after the woman screams, “Oh my God.”

Police said officers quickly reached the home and began investigating. They did not say how long Molina Cornelio was in the home or if he left because he knew they were coming.

Use of force investigation

A completed investigation into the shooting will be sent to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office for review and to present to a grand jury, what the department describes as standard procedure.

Police said Molina Cornelio had “numerous options available to him that would have led to a different outcome.”

Police moved in immediately after the shooting and provided emergency medical care to Molina Cornelio before he was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to the department.

“The Fort Worth Police Department would like to remind everybody that domestic violence situations are incredibly dangerous, not only for the civilians that go through them but also for the police officers who have to respond to them,” police said Wednesday night.

Police said their major case unit is conducting the investigation.