Officer Lina Mino identified as cop shot during active shooter training in Forest Hill
FOREST HILL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Sansom Park officer Lina Mino survived a gunshot to the face during a training exercise Nov. 5.
Mino was shot with a live round, according to Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer and then taken by ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital.
"It was devastating news, you can never prepare yourself for things like that," said Sansom Park Police Chief James Burchfield, who's confident Mino will overcome the challenging road ahead.
"She's a little spit fire, and she's got a great attitude, loves her job. She'll, she'll be back," said Burchfield.
Mino joined the Sansom Park Police Department in 2021 and works with the patrol division.
Burchfield said he decided to put Mino and another one of his officers in the training following the Uvalde school massacre in May.
A Facebook post from Brotherhood of the Fallen - Fort Worth alludes to a GoFundMe for Mino, which states she will require additional surgeries as a result of head trauma.
Spencer said the active shooter training session was put on by a third party training provider at David K. Sellars Elementary in Forest Hill. Several other agencies, including the Sansom Park Police Department, also participated in the training. Spencer said the third party provider supplied the equipment used and that there was no plan for any live fire training.
Forest Hill Mayor Stephanie Boardingham has since asked the community to send prayers and condolences to Mino's family.
"We would just like to send our prayers and condolences to the family of the officer that was shot. Also, we ask for the same for our officers here in Forest Hill, as well as all officers that were attending this training," Boardingham said. "Please help us to pray for the officers, and for everyone who is conducting the investigation so that we can all get through this."
The White Settlement Police Department also showed their support for Mino by having officers cover a 12 hour shift so that her colleagues could stay at the hospital overnight.
"We've always had so much support in the DFW area, it's invaluable when you see what goes on in law enforcement in other parts of the country the support that we get here is just great," said Burchfield.
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office along with the Texas Rangers are currently investigating the incident.
Spencer told CBS 11 he was unsure if anyone was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
