Dallas officer injured during sparring match, family sees massive outpouring of support

A Dallas Police Officer who also served in the Marines is recovering after suffering a traumatic brain injury during a sparing match.

Officer Joey Arvizu works patrol in the Southeast division. He was boxing Wednesday as part of his training to participate in the Guns and Hoses charity event later this year when he was injured. He started feeling dizzy after sparing at the local gym and had a seizure.

"Nobody hates Joey, that's kind of our inside joke with all of our friends,” said his wife Cathy Arvizu.

Cathy says her husband is doing better but still has a long way to go.

"He is off of the breathing tube he's breathing on his own, he's been able to open his eyes he's been able to look around the room and recognize some of us, he can move his arms and his legs,” she said. “He suffered several hits to the head that led to massive hemorrhaging"

Support began coming in from friends, but she says she was overwhelmed at what happened when she called one of her husband’s fellow officers.

"Within seven minutes there were so many officers here that were supporting me and helping me, I felt like I had a full family support."
Corporal Jamie Castro says it hurts all of them to see an officer injured, on or off duty.

"We are a family literally speaking we're a brotherhood and we take care of each other, there's always a saying if we don't take care of each other no one else will," he said.

"You don't plan for something like that it's very unexpected and my husband and I have actually been trying to start a family for the past two years,” said Arvizu. "So I immediately thought of that, our future and what that would mean with him or without him"

Officer Arvizu has also received support from the Episcopal School of Dallas and the Hockaday School, where he worked off-hours as a school resource officer.

Arvisu’s wife says he doesn’t fully understand what’s happened yet, and it’s too early to tell just how long his recovery will take.