Police say Elijah Mayo pointed a handgun at officers before they opened fire.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The father of 26-year-old Elijah Mayo said Saturday he wants answers after Fort Worth police fatally shot his son during a chaotic night that began with gunfire at a neighborhood party.
Emmitt Mayo said his son had gone to the party to perform under the stage name Eastwood Dub but never made it to the stage. Fort Worth police said officers found Mayo armed with a handgun and shot him after he pointed it at them and ignored commands to drop it.
“My son didn’t deserve to get gunned down like that,” Emmitt Mayo said as investigators continued reviewing the shooting. He said Elijah Mayo had asked about being paid for the show after learning there had already been gunfire at the gathering. Mayo said an argument followed and that his son tried to leave when police arrived. “They fired shots at him first. He returned fire to protect himself,” Mayo said.
Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia gave a different account. Garcia said officers encountered Mayo with a handgun and opened fire only after he pointed it toward officers. Police have not released body camera video, the names of the officers involved or a full timeline of the first shooting. The shooting happened in the front yard of neighbor Carolyn Green, who said she saw the aftermath as emergency crews arrived.
Green said the scene unfolded quickly outside her home. “One thing led to another, and he was laying there,” she said. “The ambulance came out. I said, ‘That man is dead.’” The shooting was one of two deadly officer-involved shootings tied to the same overnight scene, police said. As officers investigated Mayo’s death, Garcia said another driver sped past and tried to hit officers.
Police said the second incident led to a pursuit onto Interstate 820, where officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. Garcia said officers shot the driver after the person ignored commands and grabbed an officer’s handgun as officers approached. The driver died at the scene and had not been publicly identified. Police have not said whether the two people knew each other or whether the two incidents were directly connected.
The investigation remained active Sunday. Emmitt Mayo said he is waiting for police to explain why his son’s night ended in gunfire in a neighbor’s yard.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.