DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A Doral Police sergeant had to be airlifted to the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest at a police training institute in Doral.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the Miami-Dade Public Safety Training Institute, located in the area of Northwest 58th Street and 97th Avenue, just after 11:30 a.m., Wednesday.
Air rescue transported the male patient, later identified as 29-year-old Eric Fernandez, to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center after he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
7News cameras captured doctors wheeling the sergeant into the trauma center.
Fernandez said he suffered a few broken bones and a pierced lung but is able to walk and is in good spirits.
Investigators said the training only involved Doral Police officers.
Fernandez is an 11-year veteran of the department, and he is a patrol officer and a field training sergeant, police said.
Doral Police spokesperson Rey Valdes described Fernandez as “a great guy all around.”
“He is a family man. He has a child and another one on the way,” he said. “We ask to keep them — Eric and his family — in your prayers.”
We are at the Miami Dade Police Department Training Bureau where a Doral Police Officer was shot during a training exercise that was being conducted by the Doral Police Department. The shooting investigation is being conducted by Miami Dade Police Department. pic.twitter.com/vTFktLCo5i
— Doral Police Dept. (@DoralPolice) June 26, 2019
Doral Police Chief Hernan Organvidez made a brief statement outside the training facility, Wednesday afternoon.
“An investigation into the training incident misfortune is being conducted by the Miami-Dade Police Department at this time,” he said. “There’s always hazards in anything we do. I would like to know how it happened in order to avoid any circumstance like this in the near future.”
After he made his statement, Organvidez went to the hospital and said he spoke to the injured sergeant, who he said is alert and talking.
“The officer is doing well and in stable condition,” he said. “We really appreciate all the support that we’ve gotten from the entire community. We appreciate the community’s prayer and support.”
7News cameras captured fellow police officers and family members stopping by the hospital to visit Fernandez, Wednesday.
Fernandez’s wife released a statement on Thursday morning saying, “We appreciate the love and support that we have received from the entire police community, all of our family and friends. We are just focusing on getting Eric back on his feet to continue fulfilling his duty as a training officer and his duty as a father.”
He added he is excited to get back on the job, back to his duties and plans to do so very soon.
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