CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston Police Department officer is recovering after being shot on Tuesday.
Patrolman Cassie Johnson was responding to a parking complaint on Garrison Avenue when someone shot her. The incident happened before 3 p.m.
Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt told reporters Johnson’s injury is typically a fatal wound.
“She’s not out of the woods, but she’s going to be recovering,” he said. “We hope and pray that she please makes a full recovery.”
Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin asked residents to think about Johnson as well as the first responders treating her.
“First responders are also the doctors and nurses who were there every single day in the ER and have been here helping our officer get to recovery,” she added.
A suspect was also shot. Authorities arrested the person, whose name has not been released.
“I pray that everyone pulls through. I don’t want to see any loss of life,” Hunt said. “Everybody, please thank the good Lord and ask for his healing hand.”
Johnson joined the police department in January 2019. She told MetroNews affiliate WCHS-AM she joined the police department to make her hometown a better place.
“It’s been a dream of mine for a while and I am happy to see it come to fruition,” she said. “I’ve been working extremely hard over the last year to get ready for it. I am really happy to finally getting to follow my dreams in working with Charleston PD.”
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
MetroNews’ Alex Thomas and Jake Flatley contributed to this report.