CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As Virginia State University (VSU) students returned to class on Monday, there was an increased police presence and additional counselors on campus due to an officer-involved shooting Sunday morning.
According to the Chesterfield County Police Department, officers responded to an area on Boisseau Street around 1:34 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12 for reports of a VSU officer shot. Officers later identified 39-year-old VSU police officer, Bruce Foster as the victim.
Officers say Foster was investigating a disturbance in the area when the shooting took place. He was taken to VCU Medical Center in Richmond with life-threatening injuries, but is now reportedly in stable condition.
8News spoke with former officer and security consultant, Mike Jones, about the incident.
“At any moment of any day, an officer could face circumstances like this, and these situations have a tendency to explode with extreme rapidity,” said Jones. “It’s not like you plan for it, but you plan for it in your everyday training.”
A letter from university president Makola Abdullah, said that counselors had been made available to assist any student who may need help.
“At this stage, state police, Chesterfield Police, VSU Police are turning over every rock, leaf and branch to find what happened. They are also talking to the people involved in the incident,” said Jones. “Lots of people know who the shooter is, they’re just reticent to say.”
University officials said there is no threat to the VSU community at this time. Out of an abundance of caution, multiple agencies, including Chesterfield, Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Virginia State Police were patrolling the VSU area Monday. As the investigation continues, 8News is still working to learn who the suspect is and what led up to the shooting.
“What can the average citizen, the average student, do? Be aware, be alert, don’t fail to report something. If you truly see something, say something,” said Jones. “We want to hear you because the life you save might be that of your roommate, your professor or just a mom with kids walking down the street.”
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.
