CHARLESTON, W.V. (WOWK) — A Charleston police officer who was shot in the face Tuesday afternoon while in the line of duty will be unable to survive her injuries, according to the police chief.
Cassie Johnson, 26, has been clinging to life at CAMC General Hospital where she was taken immediately after the shooting.
“She is still fighting, but her body is unable to sustain life by itself,” Police Chief Tyke Hunt said in a press conference at 5 p.m. this afternoon.
Medical services for Johnson were terminated on Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson was responding to a parking complaint in the 200 block Garrison Avenue on Charleston’s West Side around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1 when she was shot in the line of duty. Law enforcement said a male suspect shot Johnson and fled the scene.
A man was caught further down Garrison Avenue, was shot by officers during his arrest, and was hospitalized at CAMC Memorial Hospital overnight. As of Dec. 2, charges in Tuesday’s incident remain to be filed.
More than 70 law enforcement vehicles responded to the call of an officer shot and later even more officers arrived at the hospital to give Officer Johnson and her family support, and many were there all night.
“It’s just unacceptable. It’s just terribly sad,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said during his semi-daily press conference earlier this afternoon. “You know, here we have a police officer that is a hero in every way, as all of our police officers are and all the great work that they’re doing every single day. Just think, these are the people we call when we have an issue or a problem or worry or concern.”
Johnson was sworn into the CPD in January 2019 at 26-years-old after serving as a humane officer. She was the first female officer sworn into the department by Charleston’s first female mayor, Amy Goodwin.