Fort Worth Police celebrates return of civilian specialist shot while helping victim

A welcome-back ceremony honored Edward Zapata's recovery and resilience after a line-of-duty injury.

A Fort Worth Police Department civilian response specialist is back in uniform 12 weeks after he was shot in the eye while helping a woman file a police report.

Edward Zapata, a Marine veteran and member of the department's Civilian Response Unit, returned to the Fort Worth Police Department's North Division on Monday after completing months of recovery.

Zapata was injured while rushing the woman to safety after a suspect shot him with a pellet gun. Since then, the 54-year-old husband and father of four has undergone three surgeries, including the removal of his injured eye. He now wears a prosthetic eye.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Zapata said he never doubted he would return to work.

"Doing great. Finally got through rehabing. All my surgeries are done," Zapata said.

He said his focus shifted to getting back on his feet almost immediately after the shooting.

"From the first day in the hospital, I'm OK. I got shot in the eye, but I'm ready to get back. My wife tried to hold me down. People were coming to visit. Yeah, he shot me, but he didn't take my will to get up," Zapata said.

The department welcomed Zapata back with hugs, cake and a ceremony. An organization also presented him with a quilt honoring officers injured in the line of duty.

Zapata said there was never a point when he believed he would not wear the uniform again.

"The only way that would happen is if they said I couldn't come back. I could accept that," Zapata said.

The former airport police officer said he hopes to receive medical clearance to return to the streets by the end of August, where he expedites police reports for the department.

Looking back on the shooting, Zapata described it as an isolated incident rather than something that changed his outlook.

"I call that day just an anomaly, just one of those situations," Zapata said.

Although the encounter was captured on body-worn camera, Zapata said he has not watched the video. Instead, he remains focused on the outcome.

"Being a Marine for 30 years, you accept what happens and you deal with it. Everyone processes different. It happened. It's unfortunate the way it went down, but the victim got to safety back in the house. My partner wasn't hurt," Zapata said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.