By PoliceOne Staff
HOUSTON — One of the four officers shot while serving a warrant in Houston on Monday didn’t hesitate in engaging the gunman, despite being shot twice on the job before.
The 54-year-old officer, who was shot in the neck Monday and hasn’t been publicly identified by the Houston Police Department, has been shot twice previously in the line of duty since joining the department in 1984, NBC News reports.
“I had to go in, I knew my guys were down,” the officer said in a note passed to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo from his hospital bed on Tuesday, where he was in critical but stable condition.
The 32-year veteran was leading a team to execute a warrant in a narcotics case when suspects opened fire. He was among five officers who were wounded in the shootout. Two suspects were killed.
"He’s done something really good in life that God looks over him," Acevedo said. "The only thing bigger than his stature is his strength and courage."
In addition to the 54-year-old officer, one other LEO was also shot in the neck and is in critical, but stable condition. One officer, who was shot in the shoulder, was released from the hospital on Monday.