OFFICER SHOT BY MISTAKE

FORT WORTH - Police on Friday changed their account of the shooting of an
undercover narcotics officer, saying the officer had her head covered, had
her weapon drawn and was not wearing a bulletproof vest when she was
wounded by a convenience store owner's son.

Police initially said narcotics officers bought $20 of crack cocaine inside
the E-Z Food Store in East Fort Worth in a sting operation. They said the
officer entered the store, clearly identified herself as a police officer
and had not concealed her face before she was shot. They also said she was
wearing a bulletproof vest.

Police said Friday that the shop owners were not involved in the sting,
that the officer apparently was shot by mistake and that the drug purchase
happened outside the store.

"This may very well have been a tragic accident," said Lt. Jesse Hernandez,
the Fort Worth police public information officer. "I want to make it clear
that the store was not involved. If we made a mistake, we will correct it,
but it was very confusing out there.

"There were some assumptions made that we were later able to clarify." Lt.
Hernandez said patrol officers who arrived on the scene just after 5 p.m.
Thursday originally thought the drug suspect and the shooter were the same
person. And because the wounded officer had been transported to a hospital,
they did not know she had her face concealed when she entered the store.
Police said she was wearing a jacket embroidered with a police badge and
patch. Bao Nguyen, the shop owner's son, said he thought the concealed
figure was robbing his parents' store when he fired a .380-caliber handgun,
striking the officer once.

Lt. Hernandez said the department is reviewing the procedures used in the
raid. He said that wearing bulletproof vests is generally optional for
officers and that he did not know the protocol undercover and narcotics
officers follow in concealing their identity when they're making drug
arrests. "We'll go back and look at our policies and procedures. We'll look
at everything," he said. "We may have to make some adjustments in the
future." The officer, whose name was not being released because she works
undercover, was upgraded Friday afternoon to serious condition. Police said
Friday that they may refer the case to a Tarrant County grand jury for
further investigation.

Police said James Crenshaw, 27, of Fort Worth was arrested on a charge of
delivering a controlled substance to the undercover officers. He remained
in the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center. Bail had not been set Friday
evening. Although Nguyen family members were relieved that the officer
appears to be recovering and that police have said the store was not
involved, they said they remain shaken and confused.

Mr. Nguyen said he feared for his family's safety when a white pickup truck
swiftly pulled up to the store's front door Thursday evening and a shrouded
figure entered with a gun.

He said the suspect who sold the police the drugs had just purchased some
snacks and was the only customer in the store.

The officer did not identify herself, he said. "In my mind, I know if I
don't shoot, this person is going to shoot me and then shoot my dad," said
Mr. Nguyen, 28. "I looked up and there was the ski mask. I didn't know what
to do."

He said he didn't realize that he had injured a police officer until the
other officers entered the store.

"They asked who fired the shot, and I held up my hands and said, 'I did,' "
he said. Mr. Nguyen and his father, Vincent, were taken into custody and
questioned before being released.

The Nguyens began running the small convenience store in the Morningside
neighborhood two years ago. Vincent Nguyen came to the United States from
Vietnam in 1975.

Vincent Nguyen said that though he and his son were handcuffed and
questioned for hours, he harbors no ill will toward police. "I'm not mad at
anybody. They were just doing their job," he said. Bao Nguyen said that
when the family opened the nondescript brick store, police advised them to
keep a gun around for their own safety. "They said this is a rough
neighborhood and that we should protect ourselves," he said. "You have to
be alert all the time." On Friday, neighbors and other well-wishers visited
the family and bought their usual supply of groceries. Some lamented that
Thursday's events would give people the wrong impression of the Nguyens.

"We come here all the time. They're a good family," said Janice Curtis, who
lives down the street and who worked with Vincent Nguyen's wife at Nokia.
Bao Nguyen said he remains concerned about the officer and wants to visit
her in the hospital.

"I told ... [police] that I want to see her later on if they will let me,"
he said. "I'd say that I am very sorry. I am filled with remorse. "I just
want to go back to my business. I just want to go back to my life." REVISED
ACCOUNT OF SHOOTING Fort Worth police revised their account of Thursday's
shooting of a police officer: Thursday Police said an undercover officer
purchased $20 worth of crack cocaine from a man inside the E-Z Food Store
at New York and Elmwood avenues at 5:20 p.m. Police said a female officer
went back into the store, identified herself as a police officer and was
shot in the shoulder by the 28-year-old son of the store owner. The store
owner's son told police he did not know she was a police officer and
thought she was a robber. He and his father were taken into custody,
questioned and released.

Police said the officer was wearing a bulletproof vest. Police arrested
James Crenshaw, 27, of Fort Worth. He was charged with delivery of a
controlled substance.

The wounded officer was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital. Friday
Police revised their report to say the drug purchase happened outside the
store and the suspected seller went into the store to buy chips. Police
said the officer had her head covered and had her gun drawn when she
entered the store.

Police said the officer was wearing a jacket embroidered with a police
badge and patch. The officer's condition was upgraded to serious.

Staff writer Selwyn Crawford contributed to this report.