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Pa. officer shot in chest, saved by his vest

Was investigating a suspicious vehicle in a swim club parking lot

By Peter Mucha
The Philadelphia Inquirer

CHALFONT, Pa. — A Chalfont police officer’s bulletproof vest saved his life Monday when he was shot in the chest while investigating a suspicious vehicle in a swim club parking lot, officials said.

Jon Cousin, 31, was treated at Abington Memorial Hospital, said Police Chief Frank L. Campbell.

Campbell said the officer saw a car in the darkened parking lot of the Lenape Valley Swim Club on Westview Avenue about 3:15 a.m. and pulled in with his patrol car to investigate.

After Cousin got out of his car, a man shot him in the chest and the car sped away, the chief said.

Immediately after the shooting, police set up roadblocks in an effort to find the car, an older-model maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass with two men and a woman inside.

The car a scuffed rear bumper and a university-type decal in the rear window, police said. The wounded officer did not see a license plate.

Police were looking to see if anyone had surveillance video in the area, Campbell said.

He said Cousin has been on the force for more than three years.

Contact Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com

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