FORT WORTH, Texas — WFAA has obtained a situational awareness bulletin issued to police departments across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex by the ATF's Dallas Crime Intelligence Center following a shooting that left two men dead at the hands of Fort Worth officers.
Per the bulletin, one of the victims killed belonged to a biker gang that has been "broadcasting anti-law enforcement posts on their social media pages" since the shooting.
Bronshay Minter, 30, and Billy Smith, 21, were fatally shot by law enforcement officers in Fort Worth just before 12:30 a.m. on July 5.
A Fort Worth police officer and an arson investigator -- also a licensed peace officer -- for the Fort Worth Fire Department fired multiple rounds at both men.
Both officers arrived at a block party at Ross Avenue and Northwest 32nd Street that was getting out of hand early July 5, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said.
Body camera footage released earlier this week provided some clarity to the shooting. The officers began approaching the party when a gunshot can be heard.
The officers told Noakes that Smith had a gun and was standing over a male who had been beaten, stabbed and shot.
At that time, the FWPD officer opens fire on Smith, who falls to the ground. A gun was recovered from his body, police said.
A few more shots can be heard off-camera. Then the arson investigator began shooting at Minter, who police said had shined a laser light connected to a handgun toward the investigator.
The officer also fired several shots at Minter, who was killed. The pistol with the laser light was recovered from the scene.
At least four others were injured, and at this time, it's not clear if police rounds hit them. Ballistics should help fill in the gaps.
Now, police are being told to watch their backs a little more closely.
The aforementioned bulletin released by the ATF states that one of the victims belonged to "Brothers East OMG," or "B*EAST OMG," and that members, in multiple areas of Texas, have broadcasted anti-law enforcement posts online.
Per the Department of Justice, OMGs, or Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, "are organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises. OMGs are highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in criminal activities such as violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking."
The bulletin reads, "Law enforcement members should exercise increased caution when encountering 'Brothers East OMG' members, as tension toward law enforcement members is likely high."
It adds, "These comments are specifically directed against law enforcement in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, but the sentiment may be shared by members statewide."
Family of the victims and community members expressed anger when the body camera footage was released earlier this week.
Cynthia Smith, the mother of Billy Smith, said that police never announced themselves before opening fire and that her son would have dropped his weapon if given the chance.
In the video, the Fort Worth officer opens fire without identifying himself. After a few shots, he finally said who he is.
Law enforcement experts supported police, saying that if either man had a gun and threatened lives, it would be within an officer's right to stop that threat.
Dr. Alex Del Carmen, a renowned criminologist and trainer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told WFAA that law enforcement in the metroplex wouldn't take this bulletin lightly.
"I haven't met a cop that doesn't want to return home after a shift," Dr. Del Carmen said. "Police will start monitoring social media and mobilizing intelligence on the ground. They'll likely tell guys to be situationally aware, and they'll maybe add more officers to various shifts to ensure that there is backup when an officer needs it and that it's fast and reliable."
"To a lot of bad guys, police are just one entity. They don't look at the patch or where the person belongs."
WFAA reached out to Fort Worth PD for a comment.
A spokesperson said, "If these are valid threats, we cannot share what we are doing as far as intel gathered or what plans we have in regard to officer safety."