Suspect in custody after Fort Worth police employee shot in the eye, Fort Worth police say

Fort Worth police said a suspect is in custody after a civilian response officer was shot in the face on Tuesday afternoon.

Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the civilian response unit (CRU) was responding to a burglary report on North Juliet Lane around 11:40 a.m., when a person across the street started shooting with a rifle, hitting a CRU officer, later identified as Edward Zapata, in the eye with shrapnel. 

CRU officers are not police police officers and are not armed. They respond to scenes to collect evidence and write police reports, tasks that a sworn police officer does not necessarily need to complete. They do not respond when a suspect is on the scene or likely to return, according to FWPD's website. 

When police officers responded, they exchanged gunfire with the suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Angel Cantu, before he took off running to the west. Garcia said it was not clear if the suspect was hit.

The area around the Summerfield subdivision near Basswood Boulevard and North Riverside Drive was blocked off while police searched for Cantu after he ran out of the back door of his home and jumped the fence. 

Police said Cantu was taken into custody at approximately 5:40 p.m. as he exited a wooded area near Riverside and Brittany Place.

Zapata was transported to JPS Hospital, where Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker confirmed to CBS News Texas' Jack Fink that he was "miraculously doing well." 

And on Wednesday, Garcia posted a photo of Zapata, with a caption saying that the officer is in "great spirits" and thanking JPS Hospital. 

Zapata, who served in the Marines for 30 years and received a Purple Heart for action in Iraq, had recently joined the CRU in February. 

CBS News Texas was present when he was released from the hospital Friday, where law enforcement agencies celebrated, including Garcia.