Texas Officer Shot Continued Pursuit

[Signal_W]

Meadows Place police officer Sgt. Larry Eissler's family is thankful it wasn't worse.

"This is actually the entrance wound here," Eissler said. "It exited through the middle muscle area of my back. One-quarter inch this way or that way and it might have had an entirely different outcome."

Eissler said he had a little help along with him.

"The good Lord was riding co-pilot again and made sure that it wasn't any worse than it was," Eissler said.

Eissler was shot as he tried to pull over a man and a woman who were running from police Friday morning.


Officers said the two suspects had already robbed and shot a man in southwest Houston and were intent on not stopping as Eissler pulled up alongside them at Dairy Ashford Street and West Airport Boulevard.

"He slammed on his brakes, which made him skid back near my vehicle and just opened fire on me," Eissler said.

"I felt a real burning sensation in my shoulder," Eissler said. "At that time I knew I'd been hit."

Eissler said he radioed that he had been shot and, even though he was wounded, he kept chasing the suspects.

"I wanted to try to send a message to the individuals that I'm not dead and I'm still in the fight," Eissler said. "I certainly didn't want them exiting the car or try to come back to my vehicle and shoot me again."

Officials said the suspects then pulled into a convenience store and carjacked a pickup truck from a customer pumping gas. A running gun battle between the police and suspects followed, eventually ending in a crash on the Southwest Freeway near Sweetwater Boulevard in Sugar Land.

Meanwhile, Eissler's wife was getting the news that every officer's family dreads.

"I can only imagine how tough that is on any spouse of a police officer," Eissler said. "That's the call they never want to get."

Eissler is expected to make a full recovery and plans to be back at work in the next few weeks.

The suspects, Joseph Lee Flores and Tamina Hamid, have been charged with attempted capital murder and aggravated robbery.

[Virginian]

Wow... that is a hell of a group! Wonder if the guy was ex military or something.

[dlocke1419]

That better shotting them most of my department and from what i gathered they were in a moving vehicle when they were shooting.

[Virginian]

We had a similar situation here a while back, a former executive protection trained, former marine killed a Richmond officer while driving and shooting behind him. It's bad news when a highly trained person goes bad.

[TheOldRhino]

"I wanted to try to send a message to the individuals that I'm not dead and I'm still in the fight," Eissler said. "I certainly didn't want them exiting the car or try to come back to my vehicle and shoot me again."

IMO, that's precisely the right mindset to have. "Ef you! You can't hurt steel!"

Way to go, TX.

[Magnum440]

"I wanted to try to send a message to the individuals that I'm not dead and I'm still in the fight,"

Lord, you have to love guts. This guy has old fashioned grit.