Missouri City police captain on restaurant fundraiser for wounded officer: 'It means the world to us'

An Italian restaurant in Pearland over the weekend held a fundraiser for a Missouri City police officer who was shot in the face while responding to a carjacking, per a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.

KHOU reported that Grazia Italian Kitchen sold breakfast tacos and t-shirts to assist Officer Crystal Sepulveda’s recovery. 

The station reported that the eatery operated a drive-thru breakfast taco stand on its premises.

Missouri City Police Department (MCPD) Captain Jazton Heard lauded the effort.

"To have a business like Grazia's step up, and say 'Hey, now we have our back and we're going to do all we can to make it easier on a family and support our law enforcement,' it means the world to us," Heard told KHOU.

The captain added that he heard good things about Sepulveda in the hospital, labelling her a “strong warrior.”

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the 28-year-old Sepulveda was shot on the night of Saturday, July 23.

The alleged gunman, Jeffrey Bundrent, struck the mother of one at least once in the jaw and cheek before he succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.

Missouri City Chief of Police Michael Berezin told KTRK that she continued with her job though she was shot.

"After she was struck, she did not stay down and lay there to die,” the chief said, the station reported. “She struggled back to her feet to try to complete the mission until she physically couldn't, and the other officers got there.”

KHOU reported that Sepulveda underwent reconstructive surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and wished she attended the fundraiser for her.

The Houston Police Department (HPD) is investigating the incident, according to KTRK.