Arlington Detective Injured in Saginaw Says “Recovery is Doing Great”

The Arlington police detective who was shot in the leg two weeks ago in Saginaw says he is getting better every day.

Detective Charles Lodatto was shot while trying to serve warrants on Tyler Holder, the 17-year-old man suspected of killing his 6-year-old neighbor Alanna Gallagher.

"I thank God for being here," Lodatto said. "He pulled me through this deal and, without him and the family and the brotherhood that surrounded me that day, I'm just very thankful."

Lodatto was part of a multiagency special task force assigned to solve the slaying of Gallagher, whose body found in a residential street about a mile from her home on July 1.

"Having a small child myself, it was a driving force in this case, and I'm glad it came to a successful end," Lodatto said.

Lodatto, a 20-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department, spent days in a hospital after the shooting.

"The recovery is doing great," he said. "Every day, I'm getting stronger and more energetic. I've been lacking some energy to this point but, in the last few days, every day has been monumentally better."

"As far as I'm concerned, if my energy is kept the same next Monday I'll be ready to go to work, but, unfortunately, supervisors and medical staff and, of course my wife, is saying 'no way,'" he said.

Lodatto said that who grabbed Holder's gun and bandaged his leg were the true heroes.

"It's always satisfaction in any case to catch the bad guy, and that's what our job is; that's why we sign up, is to put bad guys in jail," he said.

Lodatto attended an appreciation luncheon in Saginaw organized to thank those who worked on the Gallagher case.

Holder, who was shot during the incident, remains in a Fort Worth hospital under guard. He is being held on a $1 million bond.

He is charged with attempted capital murder in the shooting of Lodatto and with capital murder in the killing of Gallagher.

Neighbors say his mother has moved out of their house, which is two doors down from the Gallagher home, and plans to put it up for sale.