RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond Police officer shot in the chest after responding to a call early on June 2 remains in the hospital with additional surgeries scheduled, according to a GoFundMe established to help the officer and his family.
Jason Scott and his partner were called to Semmes Avenue in South Richmond at about 1:25 a.m. Tuesday to investigate reports of a person with a gun in the area, according to Richmond Police.
“When officers arrived, they encountered three adult males in the 1000 block of Semmes Avenue. During their interaction, one of the males produced a firearm and exchanged gunfire with one of the officers,” a Richmond Police spokesperson said. “ It was at this time the two officers were struck, along with the suspect. The officers and suspect were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The other two individuals remained on scene.”
Police later arrested 19-year-old Waseem A. Hackett and charged him with Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony.
Both Hackett and one other officer suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Scott, who was shot in the chest, had much more serious injuries.
“The location where he was struck has caused damage to a wide area of his body and rehabilitation is expected to be a long and arduous process,” the update on GoFundMe read. “It's expected that it will be a long time until [he] will be able to support his family adequately again. Additionally, his rehabilitation process that's expected over the coming years will likely cause his family more financial hardship.”
The GoFundMe account has helped to raise nearly $30,000 in one day.
The Department’s Force Investigation Team (FIT) continues to investigate the shooting. Anyone with information was asked to call Major Crimes Det. A. Coates at 804-646-0729.
