Longview officer shot on duty honored with Purple Heart
Officer Robert Leininger receiving the Purple Heart Award
LONGVIEW, Texas - Six Longview first responders were honored at Thursday’s city council meeting, for their service when an officer was shot on-duty in March.
On March 8, officers tried to stop Traveon Woodberry Jr., who ran after trying to be detained. Once they caught up to Woodberry, officers struggled to arrest him. That is when Officer Robert Leininger was shot in the leg.
After making a full recovery, Leininger showed up to Thursday’s city council meeting and received a Law Enforcement Purple Heart, an honor bestowed originally to military personnel who have been wounded or killed on duty, but can also be given to officers in the same circumstances.
Officers Luke Kientz and James Jones helped Leininger after he was shot, and were awarded the Lifesaving Award.
Officer Chris Clark also arrived on scene, taking control of the ongoing scene, and was awarded the Meritorious Conduct award.
Firefighters Justin Royer and Camden Lambert were the first on scene to render aid to Leininger after his fellow officers. They were both recognized for their help, as well.
“People always come to work knowing what the potential risks are, when you are in the public safety line of work. But when it happens it’s definitely life altering. Very thankful that everyone came out alive and our officer is healed very quickly,” said Longview Police Chief Anthony Boone.
“Just incredibly important to honor that. That they do such a great job every day, but they do that not just in that moment. They do that with years of training and years of planning, and that’s how we have a successful outcome,” said Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara.
Chief Boone also stated that he is proud of the continued training efforts of the officers, to be ready for situations such as the one in March.
1 comment:
Our District Office was in Longview in 2000. It was a dangerous city back then. Lots of drug trafficking. The Film "Rush" was based on a true story about the drug problem, murders and organized crime in and around Longview, Texas.
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