Sansom Park officer remains in hospital after being shot in face during police training
A Sansom Park police officer remained at a hospital on Monday after she was shot in the face over the weekend during a law enforcement training session at an elementary school in Forest Hill.
Officer Lina Mino, 32, underwent surgery as a result of her head trauma.
Mino, a patrol officer, “will require additional surgeries in the near future,” Erika Smith of Keller wrote on GoFundMe, where an account for Mino was created to raise funds for her medical expenses and for the travel of her relatives.
The training session during which Mino was shot occurred on Saturday at David K. Sellars Elementary School in Forest Hill. It was conducted by Texas Police Trainers LLC, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson.
Janice Washington, the Killeen-based company’s owner, said in a brief telephone conversation, “We’re all devastated by this.” Washington declined to answer questions and noted the matter was under review.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting. A spokesperson for the agency has declined to describe its circumstances in detail.
The session was an active shooter training not supposed to involve live fire, and weapons were prohibited, according to Forest Hill Police Chief Eddie Burns Sr. Authorities have said the shooting was an accident and that they were investigating how a live round was fired during the training.
Mino was shot about 2 p.m. at the elementary school. Participating officers rendered aid until a MedStar crew arrived, according to Forest Hill police. She was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.
Mino joined the Sansom Park Police Department in October 2021, according to Sansom Park Police Chief James Burchfield.
“She is still in critical condition,” Burchfield said on Monday in a telephone interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We are hoping and praying for a full recovery.”
As of Monday, about $5,300 had been raised via GoFundMe.
WFAA-TV reported that a flyer for the event noted that the training would be hosted by the Forest Hill Police Department and instructed by Paul Gaumond, who is a reserve chief deputy constable for Johnson County Constable Precinct 2. Gaumond could not immediately be reached for comment.
The training was open to peace officers, school resource officers and campus security officers.
“My prayers and thoughts go out to the Sansom Park officer that was injured and family & friends,” Forest Hill Mayor Stephanie Boardingham wrote on Facebook. “Please pray for our Forest Hill officers, all officers participating in the training and all investigators.”
On the department’s Facebook page, Forest Hill police alerted residents that they would be conducting a practical training exercise at the school on Saturday and on Nov. 12. Law enforcement officers would be in the area, and there was no cause for alarm, Forest Hill police wrote.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 7:56 AM.
