Episode Details

Shot in the Face by a Man With a Crossbow. A mental health crisis call became a fight for survival, and one of the most extraordinary chapters in a 23-year law enforcement career. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio

Hardin County Texas Sheriff’s Sergeant Tom Lee had responded to countless difficult calls during more than two decades in law enforcement. On June 20, 2019, he and a caseworker approached a home believing they were there to help a family in crisis. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.

The request had come from relatives of a 38-year-old man who was reportedly experiencing a mental health emergency. Lee was serving with the local Sheriff’s Office mental health division, a role requiring patience, communication, restraint, and the ability to recognize when a troubled person might become dangerous. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.

Nothing about the assignment suggested that Lee would soon be shot in the face by a man with a crossbow.

The central fact remains almost impossible to comprehend:

“The crossbow bolt struck him just above his left eye.”

The impact could have killed him instantly. Instead, the bolt miraculously failed to penetrate his skull. Although seriously injured, Lee stayed in the fight, returned fire with his service weapon, and stopped the threat. Shot in the Face by a Man With a Crossbow.

Both men survived.

For Lee, however, physical survival was only the beginning. The ambush became part of a much larger story involving trauma, faith, career setbacks, family, law enforcement service, and the long road toward redemption.

That journey is the foundation of his first book, Scars of the Badge: Faith, Trauma, and Redemption Behind the Thin Blue Line. Lee discussed the attack, his recovery, and the emotional cost of police work as a guest on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.

A Mental Health Call With a Terrifying Outcome

Lee and a mental health caseworker responded to the residence after the suspect’s family requested help from the sheriff’s office mental health division.

Calls involving a person in crisis are among the most unpredictable assignments in law enforcement. Officers may encounter someone who is frightened, delusional, suicidal, angry, confused, under the influence, or unable to understand what is happening around them. The person may need urgent treatment while also presenting a danger to relatives, clinicians, responding officers, or himself.

The objective is often to slow the encounter down, communicate calmly, and connect the individual with appropriate services. But even a carefully planned response can change without warning. He shares the full story as a guest on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram.

While Lee and the caseworker were at the property, the 38-year-old suspect emerged from the home armed with a crossbow. He fired at Lee, striking him in the face above the left eye.

There was no time for a lengthy assessment. Lee had been ambushed with a weapon capable of causing catastrophic injury or death.

Despite the bolt that hit him near his eye, Lee returned fire. His rounds wounded the suspect and neutralized the immediate threat.

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