Officer in raid faces paralysis

[Mike Tx]

FORT WORTH - The undercover narcotics officer shot last week by a store clerk who mistook her for a masked robber may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down, Police Chief Ralph Mendoza said Tuesday.

Although medical officials are waiting to see whether further reduction in swelling may change the officer's condition, Mendoza said he was told there is a "good chance" the loss of feeling may be permanent.

"We're not positive," Mendoza said. "I tend to hold out hope. I'm kind of one of those optimists. I believe in miracles."

Officer Lisa Ramsey, who had not been identified by Fort Worth police until Tuesday, remains in serious condition at John Peter Smith Hospital.

The officer, brandishing a gun and wearing a mask, was shot Thursday evening as she entered the E-Z Food Store, 968 Elmwood Ave., to arrest a man who minutes before had sold drugs to undercover officers outside, police said.

Bao Nguyen, who was released after questioning Thursday night, said he shot the officer because he believed that she was an armed robber entering his family's store.

Mendoza said Ramsey's condition has improved significantly since the shooting.

He said medical personnel told him that Ramsey had to be revived twice, once at the scene of the shooting and again at the hospital. Mendoza also said that doctors had to remove a portion of the officer's lung.

"We knew initially that night there may be that chance of paralysis," Mendoza said. "The initial surgery was to save her life and do repairs immediately necessary to correct the damage the bullet had done."

Now, Mendoza said, Ramsey is conscious, talking and has movement

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/4898936.htm

It's really tragic. I Hope they recover fully.

[Snoopy1]

I hope she makes a complete recovery, but the clerk's mistake is understandable. If I worked in a store and someone came carrying a gun and wearing a mask I would jump to the same conclusion.

I am wondering why she didn't remove it. Perhaps in the excitement she just forgot she was wearing it, or perhaps it never occurred to her that a third party would get the wrong idea. It is a sad situation for everyone involved.

[p01ic3m4n]

i watched chief mendoza talk to the council about it. he said she would most likely be paralyzed from the waist down. he himself said it was a bad neighborhood so the clerk had probably been robbed several times before. the area it happened is major ghetto. a year or so ago a fort worth cop got into a shootout with a guy he stopped on traffic in that same area. the guy just pulled a shotgun and chased the officer.

i've had some pursuits end over there and they will definitely shoot at the police, throw rocks, etc. i worked an EMS call over there once. a shooting and the kid refused to give up the suspect.

[Don]

Damn, I hate to see this. Obviously bad tactics that lead to a tragedy. You can't afford to operate HUA at ANY time, but particularly in a situation such as this.