Md. Woman, Capitol Police Officer Involved In Congressmen Shooting Regarded As Hero
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Congressional leaders say without her help - they would've been sitting ducks on that baseball field, and Special Agent Crystal Griner graduated from Mount Hebron High School in Howard County.
Without hesitation, Griner ran into the gunfire in Alexandria. Stacked against the odds, Griner who put her own life on the line to save Republican lawmakers.
"Problem is he got a rifle and they have handguns, not a fair fight at that time," says one congressman.
The Capitol Police officer lives in Gwynn Oak and was a college athlete at Hood College in Frederick where she excelled in basketball.
Several of Griner's neighbors in her Gwynn Oak community called her one of a kind.
Early on she attended Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, where it was obvious she was special.
"I remember her as a leader, a good student as a student who was determined to be successful," says Irene Bademosi, Mount Hebron High School Guidance Counselor.
There, she battled through adversity with her mom passing away.
"She did it herself, everything Crystal did she did it on her own, give credit to Crystal," says Scott Robinson, Mount Hebron High School's media teacher and basketball coach.
"She was a very giving girl, always thought about the well being of her team, over herself," he says.
Without Griner's quick instincts in the midst of the chaos, the shooting, could've been a massacre.
"I was not that surprised because she has all the compliments to do what she did," says Bademosi.
"Everybody is saying they're not surprised, no one is surprised because this is Crystal," says Robinson.
Griner's guidance counselor says she hopes to have the officer come back to school to speak about her experience.
Both President Trump and the First Lady visited her in the hospital according to reports. Griner remains hospitalized in good condition.
