Former Santa Fe ISD police officer John Barnes was critically wounded during the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School on May 18, 2018. Barnes was the first officer to confront the gunman and was hit with a blast from a shotgun, which shredded an artery in his arm.
Barnes had to be revived twice the day of the shooting and his arm has permanent damage. Barnes said he can’t fully extend his arm or turn his hand over. He said he also still experiences numbness and can’t lift heavy objects.
“I can’t stand any longer than 30 or 45 minutes because as my arm hangs down it puts pressure on my elbow and it’s very painful,” said Barnes. “I can’t pass any physical. I mean there’s nothing physical anywhere where you can work with one arm.”
The injuries forced Barnes to medically retire from the district’s police department. Barnes said he assumed he would receive some form of medical disability but later learned that was not the case. Barnes had only been with Santa Fe ISD police for four months when he was shot. He joined the department after retiring from the Houston Police Department.
“Every police officer believes that they’re going to get disability if they’re forced to medically retire from the police department, and it’s just simply not true. I don’t get disability,” said Barnes.
When Barnes went to work for Santa Fe ISD police he was put under the Teacher Retirement System. According to TRS’s website, an employee can qualify for disability retirement if they have “at least ten years of service credit.” TRS’s website states an employee with less than 10 years service credit can receive a disability retirement benefit of $150 a month for “the lesser of the number of months you have been covered by TRS, the duration of your disability, or your lifetime.”
Barnes said he did receive workman’s compensation, but had to fight for extended benefits.
“I’m 30% disabled is what they said. So I got an extended benefit, but they fought me on the extended benefit and we went to a hearing that took six months. So I didn’t get anything from workman’s comp for 6 or 8 months,” said Barnes. “I got $50,000 over and above the workman’s comp thing. So I got paid for workman’s comp, but that is running out.”
Barnes also applied to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program. This program is administered by the federal Bureau of Justice Administration and offers a one-time benefit to the family of officers killed in the line-of-duty or officers who suffered catastrophic injury. Barnes said he still hasn’t gotten answer as to whether he qualifies for this benefit.
“Which is ridiculous, and if I don’t qualify for that give me an answer 2 or 3 years in,” said Barnes.
According to a PSOB report dated May 10, there are 1,432 pending claims, including appeals. A separate PSOB report dated November 2023 shows claims pending as long as 2,711 days.
When we contacted PSOB to inquire about Barnes’ application we received a written statement from a Department of Justice official.
“Each PSOB claim is unique based on the facts of the case, the evidence submitted and the subsequent reviews according to the PSOB law and regulations. Processing time for claims vary case by case. A determination is currently being prepared for Mr. Barnes’ disability claim. The PSOB Office has provided the officer status updates on their claim throughout the process. Once completed, determinations are reviewed by the PSOB Director then undergo Legal review. Mr. Barnes will receive written notification via email of the outcome of his claim as soon as a determination is made.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Weber’s district covers Santa Fe and he sent KPRC 2 the following statement.
“The bureaucracy and red tape constituents face from government agencies is absolutely ridiculous and is completely unacceptable. Former police officer John Barnes deserves a simple answer regarding a grant program he applied for. I have contacted the Department of Justice to get an answer after years have passed since he applied. The DOJ needs accountability and transparency from the top all the way down to grant programs constituents apply for. I am looking into ways Congress can do just that,” wrote U.S. Rep. Weber/(R) Tx-14th Dist.
Barnes said his frustration grew when he learned had he suffered a similar line-of-duty injury while he was with HPD he would have received his pension tax-free. Barnes said since his injury occurred while working for Santa Fe ISD police, he is still taxed on his HPD pension.
“It would be the equivalent of being in the Army for 23 years and then transferring to the Navy for four months and getting shot in the Navy, and then the Army saying, ‘you’re not going to get the tax benefit, because that happened in the Navy and it didn’t happen in the Army,’” said Barnes.
Last session Texas lawmakers passed a bill requiring TRS to conduct a study on offering peace officers alternative service retirement benefits. The bill calls for TRS to look for a way to give peace officers under its umbrella retirement benefits that are more in-line with their counterparts who under different retirement systems.
Barnes said he has gone back to work as a commercial truck driver to bring in supplemental income. He said his arm will likely require another surgery, but financially that could be difficult. Barnes said he would have quit work to have the surgery and recover, yet would need the extra income to help with medical expenses.
“If I had a working arm I’d try to go and work in the plants. I physically cannot do that, physically there’s lots of things I can’t do; climb ladders and things like that,” said Barnes. “I didn’t know any of this.”
Senator Ted Cruz also wrote he is exploring changes in the law that could help officers who fall into the same situation as Barnes.
“Ensuring that those who are injured in the line of duty and can no longer work can retire in peace with full benefits is and has been a priority for my office. My team is continuing to look into any lapses in the law that may prevent heroes like Mr. Barnes from doing so,” wrote Sen. Cruz/(R) Texas.
SIX YEARS AGO
We have been following the journey of John Barnes over the last six years.
He was a big part of our documentary in our series, The Evidence Room, and recounted what happened at the high school that morning. It was the last Friday of the school year and he was in his office when he was first alerted to trouble. You can hear him tell the full story of that day in our documentary, The Evidence Room: The Long Hallway.
RELATED: The Evidence Room: The Long Hallway
RELATED: Sunday Conversations with Santa Fe ISD officer John Barnes
Just last week, the civil trial in the Santa Fe High School mass shooting was postponed. It was set to start at the end of this month. Attorneys for the families argued they wanted to get a look at the criminal case file. That case is stalled because Dimitrios Pagourtzis remains incompetent to stand trial.
July 29th is the new trial date for the civil suit.