Every few minutes while sitting at his dining room table, John Barnes massages a spot on his arm, just above a dagger-shaped scar extending nearly to his wrist.

On May 18, 2018, while on duty as a Santa Fe ISD police officer at the local high school, a shotgun blast from a student shooter ripped a hole through Barnes’ forearm and severed his brachial artery. Eleven surgeries later, he only has partial use of his arm. Serving on a police force, as he did for 23 years with the Houston Police Department, is out of the question. Even a desk job would require him to carry a gun.

Barnes tried truck driving for a while, but his arm would start barking just from clutching the steering wheel. It’s as if he carries a 10-pound weight in his hand at all times. Simply standing can be agonizing.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

John Barnes smiles as he gets into the cab of his truck before leaving for a trip as a long-haul truck driver Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at a truck yard in Pasadena. Barnes is a former police officer who was injured in 2018 during a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.

“I have to sit down and rest my arm because I can't stand for long periods,” Barnes told me. “What can I do? What jobs can you get where you don't have to stand up for 20 or 30 minutes of time?”

John Barnes, a former Santa Fe ISD police officer, nearly died trying to stop the Santa Fe High School shooting. A hero like Barnes should never have to worry about money, yet he's been fighting for years for state and federal disability benefits.

John Barnes, a former Santa Fe ISD police officer, nearly died trying to stop the Santa Fe High School shooting. A hero like Barnes should never have to worry about money, yet he's been fighting for years for state and federal disability benefits.

John Barnes talks about his tattoo and surgical scars Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at a truck yard in Pasadena. Barnes is a former police officer who was injured in 2018 during a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.

In a Monday, May 21, 2018 file photo, Santa Fe High School freshman, Jai Gillard writes messages on each of the 10 crosses representing victims in front the school in Santa Fe, Texas. Texas, which for years has buckled to pressure from the National Rifle Association, has quietly gone around the organization by slipping a $1 million public safety campaign on gun storage into a massive spending bill now headed to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

Of course, Barnes shouldn’t have to think about work ever again. He nearly bled to death and........

© Houston Chronicle