Family, friends pray for officer’s recovery

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002 | 11:07 a.m.

About 100 friends and family gathered in a University Medical Center parking lot under falling rain Monday to pray for the recovery of Metro Police Officer Enrique Hernandez, who was shot six times last week.

The crowd was somber, with heads bowed in the winter darkness, aware that a split second can change a lifetime.

Hernandez, 27, was still in critical condition Monday, but he tried to get out of bed Sunday night, Metro Police Sgt. Rick Barela said. Medical experts said Hernandez is expected to make a full recovery, Office Jose Montoya said.

Hernandez was shot in the hand, shoulder and knee while on duty Thursday night.

Leeann Hernandez, 27, the wife of the injured officer, stepped into the rain Monday from a recreational vehicle in UMC's parking lot where she and her 8-month-old daughter have been staying, her face tired, but her manner hopeful. Police and friends shielded her and the baby from the glare of television lights.

"All I want to say is to thank the community for all the support," Hernandez said. "The community has been absolutely fantastic."

Hernandez had been with Metro about a year and was a rookie on patrol when he stopped a black sport utility vehicle near 27th Street and Stewart Avenue. The driver sped away, crashing his vehicle near 28th Street and Marlin Avenue. The officer and driver exchanged gunfire.

"This is a very traumatic experience for all of us at Metro," Barela said. "We work side by side with these officers."

After an hour of searching, police said, members of a SWAT unit discovered Saul Morales Garcia, 24, in an air conditioning duct and exchanged gunfire. Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Anytime something affects an officer -- an accident, injured in a confrontation or, in this case, injured in a horrendous gun battle -- all of us are hurt," Barela said.

The recreational vehicle housing Hernandez' family was surrounded by flowers and stuffed animals. Hernandez, originally from Phoenix, came to Las Vegas looking for a job in law enforcement.

Most of the extended family had gone home to Arizona by 6 p.m. when supporters lit candles, but Metro Police protected the small family, and friends fussed with flowers blowing in brisk winds.

Family friend Gretchen Doboze of Phoenix said Leeann Hernandez, was bearing up very well, given the fact that she has had little sleep in the past three days.

"She is so strong," Doboze said. "The family is strong. All he wants to do is thank the community. All he wants to do is come back out and protect the community."

The couple met in high school more than a decade ago in Phoenix, Doboze said.

Hundreds of fellow officers signed a scrapbook inscribed with the words, "Life is not a destination, but a journey."

It's not the first time Southern Nevadans have shown support to a fallen policeman or firefighter.

After Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Bobby Kintzel was hit while putting a strip of spikes across U.S. 95 to stop a fleeing driver on April 21, 2001, an RV was parked next to the hospital for family members, UMC spokesman Rick Plummer said. It took months for him to recover.

The same thing happened when Clark County Fire Department Capt. Nate Pechacek was confined at the medical center, Plummer said. Pechacek's car was struck by a drunken driver October 2000. He was so bloodied his own firefighters didn't recognize him.

"They all pull together," Plummer said. "It tells you something about the character of the people that are protecting us."

For those wishing to help the Hernandez family with expenses, an account has been set up at Nevada State Bank, No. 552017264.

There is also a web site where the public can follow the officer's progress. It is www.injuredpoliceofficers.com.