SANSOM PARK, Texas — On Saturday afternoon, an officer with the Tarrant County city of Sansom Park was shot during a police training exercise near a Fort Worth elementary school.
She is currently stable in an ICU, according to police.
Friends of the Sansom Park officer identified her as Lina Mino.
The training exercise she was involved in was held at David Sellars Elementary School in Forest Hill.
“She's kind, respectful, professional,” said Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian. He said whenever he saw her, she did her job and everything you would expect in a police officer.
The news stunned officers across the Fort Worth area. "My heart almost stopped. It’s a heart-dropping moment," said Manoushagian.
The moment the shooting happened during the training, Manoushagian did everything he could. He said he called the Sansom Park chief immediately and was told, “The greatest need was patrol coverage, so, we went from Lake Worth to Samson Park to cover their community.”
A source shared a flyer with WFAA, where it says the hosting agency for the training was the Forest Hill Police Department, instructed by Paul Gaumond.
The flyer stated Gaumond is a reserve chief deputy constable for Johnson County Constable Precinct 2.
According to the flyer, the training was open to peace officers, school resource officers and campus security officers.
“This was a training that was open to any police department that wanted to attend,” said Manoushagian.
The Forest Hill Police Department said this was not a live fire training, and they don’t know how a weapon was introduced.
"It’s a complete tragedy," Manoushagian said.
Manoushagian said there are steps officers have to take before the training and after any breaks in-between.
“There are three checks that are done before the training starts. The three-check process is a three-step process. With a self check, a buddy check, and an instructor check,” said Manoushagian.
While the investigation continues, friends told WFAA that Mino used to be a Fort Worth police officer. Friends and fellow Sansom Park officers are by her hospital bed, supporting her.
“There is no stronger family than the blue line family. We’ve got her back. it’s going to be a long road of recovery,” said Manoushagian.
Friends set up an online fundraising campaign to help pay for medical expenses.