The Associated Press
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - A Huntington police officer was shot Wednesday while working undercover, but was apparently not seriously injured.
Cpl. Darin Dempsey was shot in the right calf at 7:40 p.m. after pulling his motorcycle into the parking lot of a vacant gas station, said Capt. Steve Hall.
Dempsey was taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital where he was listed in good condition late Wednesday. A call to the hospital nursing supervisor Thursday morning for an update was not immediately returned.
The shooting suspects were described as two black males wearing brown jackets and blue jeans, Hall said.
Dempsey told investigators at the hospital that he had gotten off his motorcycle when the men walked by and yelled something at him, Hall said. The men then reportedly opened fire, hitting Dempsey once in the leg.
Dempsey drew his gun and fired two shots at the suspects, who fled on foot, Hall said. The suspects may have known Dempsey was an officer because he had a police emblem on his motorcycle helmet, he said.
“We don’t know for sure, but we’re theorizing at this point that they knew he was an officer,” Hall said. “It’s certainly cause for concern if someone is bold and brazen enough to shoot a police officer. It makes you wonder what they would do if anyone else got in their way.”