The Arlington Police Department Tactical Unit was honored last night by their peers in the law enforcement industry for a June 2012 hostage rescue during which one of our own was critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head. At the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) Conference in Kansas City, the Arlington Tactical Unit was awarded the NTOA Unit Citation for Valor. Tactical Officers Charles Crawford, Steve Dollar, Bryan Graham, Jon Mohr, Nathan Bishop, and Brook Rollins received the award on behalf of the team.
Arlington Police Tactical Unit responded to a critical incident call to assist a neighboring law enforcement agency attempting to arrest a man wanted for aggravated robbery. The man threatened to kill a woman he had kidnapped if the men entered the apartment bedroom where he was barricaded. Members of the Arlington Police Tactical Unit heard gunshots and screams inside the bedroom. Fearing for the safety of the woman, the team prepared to enter. Officer Graham, who was in the lead, was shot in the head and immediately went down. Officer Dollar pulled Officer Graham out of the doorway and continued forward with the others. As they entered the room, officers shot the suspect and placed themselves between the kidnap victim and suspect, who was also firing at officers. The suspect was driven to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
Officer Graham received one shot to the head. The bullet struck his helmet, went through the top of his goggles and entered his right temple. The bullet did not enter his skull and exited behind his right ear, but caused no permanent damage. Officer Graham spent the night in the hospital and has no lasting effects. He quickly returned to the tactical team.
The actions of these officers were courageous and heroic. Even after seeing their fellow officer shot, they followed their training, continued into the line of fire and rescued the hostage they were there to save. In addition to the NTOA Citation for Valor, this same unit has also received the Medal of Honor from the Arlington Police Department. Officer Graham was also awarded the Purple Heart by the department and received the Star of Texas Award from the Texas governor.
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