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J’Quinnton Hopson

Age : 38

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/28/2022

Location : Interstate 35W near Spur 280

City : Fort Worth

County : Tarrant

State : Texas

Agency : Troy Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety; Hill County Sheriff’s Office; Fort Worth Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after homicide

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/28/2022, 31-year-old Shaelan Jazmanique Hill was killed after law enforcement pursued the vehicle she was driving for more than 100 miles from Central Texas into Fort Worth. Subsequent investigation established that Hill was being held hostage at gunpoint by her boyfriend, 38-year-old J’Quinnton Donye Hopson, and was not voluntarily fleeing police. Hopson ultimately shot Hill after the pursuit ended in a crash.
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The pursuit began after Troy Police Department officers responded at approximately 6:20 p.m. to reports of a vehicle being driven recklessly northbound on Interstate 35 between Belton and Temple. Officers encountered the vehicle traveling more than 100 mph and passing traffic on the left shoulder. Troy police attempted to stop the vehicle and pursued when it continued north.
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The pursuit continued north for approximately 115 to 130 miles, eventually involving additional law-enforcement agencies. During the pursuit, police learned that an armed male passenger was threatening Hill and that she was being held against her will. Despite learning that the person driving the vehicle was a hostage, police continued the pursuit toward Fort Worth.
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The vehicle eventually crashed on Interstate 35W near Spur 280 in Fort Worth. Fort Worth officers ordered the people inside to come out but reported that deployed airbags and crash debris obstructed their view into the vehicle. A police helicopter crew reported seeing the armed passenger holding a gun against Hill.
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Police reported seeing a struggle inside the wrecked vehicle and hearing a gunshot. Hill had been shot in the abdomen. Knowing that Hill was wounded and remained inside the vehicle with an armed man, Fort Worth officers formed a rescue team and approached.
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Body-camera footage showed Hill lying across Hopson while he held a handgun against her midsection. Police described him as using Hill as a human shield. Officers repeatedly ordered him to take his hand off the weapon and drop it. Two Fort Worth officers then fired, killing Hopson.
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A magnified examination of the body-camera footage subsequently showed that Hopson's handgun had no magazine inserted and that its slide was locked or jammed to the rear when police shot him. Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes maintained that officers could not reasonably have recognized the condition of the firearm during the confrontation.
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Officers removed Hill from the vehicle after shooting Hopson. Because traffic congestion delayed emergency medical personnel from reaching the scene, police transported Hill to John Peter Smith Hospital in a patrol vehicle. She died at 8:02 p.m. from the gunshot wound.
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Later records confirmed the important distinction obscured by some early descriptions of the incident as simply a high-speed police chase: Hill was the driver, but she was also a hostage. The Texas Council on Family Violence documented that Hopson was Hill's boyfriend, that he held her hostage in the vehicle while police pursued it from Troy to Fort Worth, and that he shot and killed her.
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Hill was born on 08/04/1991. Her mother described her as sweet, funny and generous and said she loved and fiercely protected her family. Hill also left behind pets for whom her family arranged continuing care after her death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Two Fort Worth Police Department officers fired the shots that killed Hopson during the attempt to reach Hill. Police Chief Neil Noakes did not publicly identify the officers in the records located. No police officer fired the gunshot that killed Hill.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kwtx.com/2022/08/29/high-speed-chase-i-35-central-texas-ends-with-hostage-gunman-dead-fort-worth-report/
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https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article265076454.html
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https://www.fox4news.com/news/chase-from-central-texas-ends-with-2-dead-in-fort-worth
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https://www.officer.com/on-the-street/body-cameras/video/21279518/bodycam-gunman-uses-hostage-as-shield-against-texas-police
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https://texasmetronews.com/39700/armed-man-killed-by-fort-worth-police-didnt-have-magazine-loaded-when-officers-approached%EF%BF%BC/
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https://tcfv.org/wp-content/uploads/TCFV_Honoring-TX-Victims_Narratives_2022.pdf
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https://www.gofundme.com/f/shaelan-j-hill