Va. State University officer shot on duty paralyzed from the waist down

By Joanna Putman
Police1

PETERSBURG, Va. — A campus police officer at Virginia State University has been paralyzed from the waist down after being shot while responding to a disturbance, 13News Now reported.

The Nov. 12 shooting occurred when Officer Bruce Foster stopped and began talking with a group that was causing a disturbance, according to the report. After falsely identifying himself to Foster, one person, now identified as 21-year-old Reginald L. King Jr., ran away on foot.

As Foster ran after King Jr., a second suspect, now identified as 21-year-old Deonta M. Blount, shot Foster in the back. Both suspects fled and Foster was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the report.

Since the incident occurred, Foster’s condition has improved to stable and both suspects have been found and arrested, the Chesterfield County Police Department told 13News Now.

An online fundraiser created by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police states that doctors have diagnosed Foster with paralysis from the waist down, according to the report.

“As the wife of a police officer, you live with a constant undercurrent of worry, but Bruce’s strength and dedication always bring a sense of calm,” Foster’s wife, Diedra, wrote and posted on the fundraiser page. “That calm was shattered early Sunday morning when I received the call that Bruce had been shot while on duty at Virginia State University. The man who left our home, strong and full of resolve, was now fighting for his life in a hospital bed, with his family surrounding him, praying for returned sensation from the waist down.”