By ALEX BRANCH
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH -- Hank Nava has all the attributes of a great police officer, colleagues say.
Bright, friendly and outgoing, Nava was universally trusted when he patrolled the Rosemont neighborhood as a community police officer in the 1990s, said retired Fort Worth police officer Stoney Burks.
“He’s always really compassionate with people,” said Burks, who worked with Nava for five years.
“He was good at connecting with people and showing them that they could trust him. He has always had those qualities.”
Burks is now among the many former and current Fort Worth officers praying for their friend’s life.
Nava, 39, was in critical condition Tuesday night after being shot in the head while searching for a fugitive in northwest Fort Worth.
Nava is married and has a daughter, 9, and a son, 4.
He joined the Fort Worth police in 1992 after three years as a police officer in the Austin area, according to computer records.
He left in 1999 for a five-month stint with the Plano police but returned to the Fort Worth force.
Nava has been a community police officer, a school resource officer and, most recently, on the North Division Crime Response Team, said Lt. Dean Sullivan, a police spokesman. He’s also one of the department’s bilingual officers.
“Officer Nava’s dedication is exemplified through his actions today,” Sullivan said. “He is a stellar professional.”
Officers flooded Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital throughout the evening. Sullivan estimated that as many as 200 officers were waiting in an auditorium for word on Nava’s condition.
One of them, Lt. Marty Salinas, called Nava a good, hard-working officer.
“He’s a great guy,” said Salinas, shaking his head as he as he opened the door to his patrol car.
“You just wonder why these things happen.”
Mayor Mike Moncrief, who fought back tears while talking to reporters outside the hospital, said Nava has had a distinguished career with the police force.
“As you can see by the number of officers here ... he had a lot of respect from his comrades,” Moncrief said. “He’s certainly a part of the family of Fort Worth.”
Burks said Nava often goes beyond the call of duty. He and Nava spent hours working with Explorer Post 58, a police-mentoring program for young people.
Together, they took the explorers to a national competition in Atlanta and won a trophy, he said.
“He was great at training the kids,” Burks said. “He got really involved with them and was committed to excellence. He can relate to people young and old.”
Police work has also exposed Nava to some of the city’s most senseless violence. Nava was among the officers who responded when a gunman opened fire at the Wedgwood Baptist Church in 1999.
A week after the shooting, Nava was quoted in a *Star-Telegram* story about the impact of the carnage authorities saw inside the church.
“How do you relate to what happened that night?” Nava said. “It will take awhile to get past this. ...We can’t let this incident make us hostages because when God wants you, he will take you.”
Fort Worth Star Telegram (http://www.star-telegram.com/)