“Thankful to have the bullet-resistant glass. I know for a fact that it saved me from getting shot,” Officer Lorenzo Burrell said.

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth police officer involved in a shootout last year said bullet-resistant glass is one of the main reasons he is still alive.

“A few inches and no bulletproof glass. I wouldn’t be able to think about any of this,” Officer Lorenzo Burrell said.

Police said the chain of events began on May 18, 2024, when security cameras captured 33-year-old Devoreia Thompson shooting someone and then driving away. That shooting put the entire Fort Worth Police Department on alert as officers searched for the suspect.

The next day, Officer Burrell, who works with the Fort Worth Police Department HOPE Unit, was patrolling the neighborhood when police received a license plate alert from a Flock safety camera.

“We suspected that the person driving a vehicle was the person responsible for the shooting,” Officer Burrell said.

Burrell initiated a traffic stop, and his patrol car’s dash camera recorded what happened next. Police said the driver opened fire, leading to a shootout between the suspect and the officer.

“I have scars on my arm. Yes. From when the glass and the metal hit me,” Officer Lorenzo Burrell said.

“Thankful to have the bullet-resistant glass. That actually, I know for a fact, saved me from getting shot,” Officer Lorenzo Burrell said.

Fort Worth police stated that the department currently has 100 patrol vehicles equipped with bullet-resistant glass, as well as 17 SWAT vehicles. 

In 2025, officers installed the glass in 130 additional vehicles, with another 130 planned this year. Police Chief Eddie Garcia has committed $1 million each year from the Crime Control and Prevention District fund to expand the program.

Now, an additional $1.2 million grant is accelerating that effort.

“It’s a grant that we got from the governor’s office, really for officer safety,” Chief Eddie Garcia said.

Garcia said his goal is to eventually have bullet-resistant glass installed in every Fort Worth police vehicle. During a department demonstration, the glass was shown to withstand repeated shots from high-caliber firearms. Police said the glass is also designed to allow officers to fire outward from inside the vehicle to stop a threat.

“When you hear shots fired, and you know you’re there, officers are out there risking their lives for the community. Your heart drops. Every member of this department’s heart drops,” Chief Eddie Garcia said.

Garcia is in his first year as chief of police in Fort Worth. He has gained the support of the entire council as he moves the department forward. The council ratified accepting the state grant at the January 13 meeting.

“From our city manager to our mayor and council. What are we doing as a city to ensure that, as they do this dangerous job, we do everything we can and look at every Grant possibility to ensure their safety? I think that carries a lot,” said Chief Eddie Garcia, “I know when I was applying back when I was 21 years old and some of this stuff was never heard of, but if you’re going to tell me that there’s a department that in addition to everything else that we do in support of the men and women that do this, they’re also looking at how to keep them even safer while they’re doing what some people call routine. There’s nothing routine about this job and about this calling.”

WFAA learned Fort Worth Police is ahead of its sister city, Dallas, when it comes to bullet-resistant protection. The Dallas Police Department, where Garcia served as Chief of Police, only has the extra protection on the agency’s 5 SWAT “Bearcats” Units. A police department could easily use “Bullet-Resistant Glass” on patrol units as a recruiting tool.

Officer Burrell expresses that any police department could use bullet-resistant glass on patrol units as a recruiting tool. He says the Fort Worth City Council and staff are willing to go the extra steps to help keep officers safe.

“Thank God,” said Burrell, “We’ve seen a lot of incidents involving firearms against police officers. Fortunately, a lot of the incidents involve rounds going through the windshield and going through the driver’s and passenger’s side windows. So, when the department decided to go that route. I was ecstatic, and it just confirmed my decision to come to the Fort Worth police department because they actually are putting the officer first and their safety.”

Chief Garcia stressed that it’s more than just putting the officer and their safety first. He believes he has a responsibility to officers’ families as well.

“It goes a long way for not only the officers, but their families. Our officers have families. Those conversations are difficult when they leave, and no one talks about it. It’s one of those, I’ll see you later. We know, unfortunately, oftentimes, tragedy does befall us,” said Garcia, “But for the families to know that this department cares is tremendous.”

Nearly two years later, Burrell returned to the South Edgewood Terrace area where the shootout happened.

“It’s really, really, surreal. I’m thankful,” Officer Lorenzo Burrell said.

He said he is grateful for the millions of dollars now being invested to protect officers as they work to protect the city.