HOUSTON – The support reaches across agency lines for a Houston police officer who was shot Monday.
Members of the Houston Professional Firefighters Association are offering well wishes to Sam Cleveland, as more information develops about the man accused of shooting him.
READ: Police identify HPD officer shot at apartment complex, suspect accused in case
“Officer Cleveland has always been in my opinion, one of the nicest most genuine people,” said President of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, Patrick Marty Lancton.
Lancton considers the 11-year HPD veteran a friend.
“He is always ready to help, always ready to serve,” Lancton said.
That’s exactly what investigators said Cleveland was working Monday morning at 200 Northpines in Kingwood when responded to an alleged parking space dispute between a woman and 26-year-old Michael Zachary Howard-Dale after she said Howard-Dale spit on her.
Police said instead of honoring officers’ requests for his ID, Howard-Dale shot Cleveland in the arm and struck his bulletproof vest.
“It just strikes a different chord when it’s someone that you know,” Lancton said.
Lancton said one of the firefighter paramedics who rushed to aid, is a close friend of Cleveland, and because of the quick action, Cleveland is now on the road to recovery.
“At the end of the day we’re all family and we have to look out for each other, we’re very very proud of the work that our men and women did and our thoughts and prayers now shift and focus on his recovery,” he said.
To donate to Cleveland and his family, click here.
On the other hand, Howard Dale was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and charged with aggravated assault on a public servant. His bond is set at $200,000.