The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement said Thursday it had suspended the training contract of the Forest Hill Police Department and a private instructor after a Sansom Park Police officer was shot in the face during a training exercise over the weekend.
Lina Mino, who's been with Sansom Park Police for a year, was seriously injured Saturday after a Forest Hill officer shot her in the face during an active shooter training course at David K Sellers Elementary School, a Fort Worth ISD school in Forest Hill.
The training was held by Killeen-based Texas Police Trainers and was led by Paul Gaumond, the commission said. Its records showed Gaumond is a peace officer who worked with several agencies over the years and is currently a reserve deputy constable for Johnson County Constable Pct. 2.
The commission released the following statement Thursday.
"The Texas Legislature has charged TCOLE with ensuring that law enforcement personnel in Texas are well trained, and that includes ensuring that training is conducted in a safe environment. As a result, TCOLE has suspended the training contract of the Forest Hill Police Department and the instructor certificate of Paul Gaumond effective November 10, 2022, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation being conducted by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers. Any further action will be determined upon the conclusion of that investigation."
It remains under investigation as to how a live round made it into the training.
Forest Hill Police confirmed earlier this week that one of its officers fired the shot that injured Mino and had been placed on administrative leave, which is standard during an investigation.
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In a statement, the agency said, "This Department was made aware of the event that occurred on Saturday, the 5th of November, in the City of Forest Hill. This department was not involved in the training event. A Reserve Deputy Constable that was present at the time of the incident has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation conducted by the Texas Rangers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured officer and all agencies involved."
Officer Mino is out of the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital but has a long road to recovery ahead of her.
Friends set up a verified GoFundMe account for her. On Thursday, Sansom Police Chief James Burchfield said a fundraiser has also been set up through backthebluehq.com
