CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Virginia State University Police officer is now paralyzed from the waist down as a result of being shot while on duty.
According to a tweet from the university, a fundraising campaign by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police — in partnership with officials from the Virginia State University Police Department — has been posted to help with Officer Bruce Foster’s medical expenses.
Officer Foster was shot Sunday, Nov. 12 while responding to a disturbance. At around 1:30 a.m. Chesterfield County Police officers responded to the 3400 block of Boisseau Street and found Foster injured.
Foster was taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond for life-threatening injuries. He was listed in stable condition, however, he has since received a diagnosis from his doctors of paralysis from the waist down.
Police have confirmed the suspects involved in the matter.
21-year-old Reginald King of the Ettrick area of Chesterfield County gave Foster false information before running away. As Foster was in pursuit of King to detain him, 21-year-old Deonta Blount of Chester came from behind Foster and shot him.
Blount has been charged with aggravated malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer and using a firearm while committing a felony. King has been charged with assault of a law enforcement officer and obstruction of justice.
Foster’s wife, Diedra, shared a personal sentiment on the campaign site:
Every night before he left for his shift, Bruce and I would hold hands and pray. We prayed for his safety, our family, and the community he dearly loves and serves. Our little ritual was a moment of peace and love before he left for his shift for the night. 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. 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.
The money collected in the fundraising campaign will go towards Foster’s rehabilitation, home modifications, loss of income and the educational and daily needs of his four children.
