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Police: West Virginia Officer Shot By Suspect Unlikely To Survive

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP/KDKA) — A West Virginia police officer who was shot by a suspect is unlikely to survive, a police chief said Wednesday.

Charleston officer Cassie Johnson was shot Tuesday while responding to a parking complaint. She was sworn in as a police officer in January 2019.

"With a heavy heart, I hate to say that she is not going to be able to pull through this," Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt said at news conference. "She is still fighting, but her body is unable to sustain life by itself."

Doctors are working with the family to donate her organs, Hunt said.

"I commend her for, even in her passing, still being the true hero that I know that she is," Hunt said.

RELATED STORY: W. Va. Police Officer Hospitalized After Being Shot

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice released a statement on Facebook, saying:

Cathy and I are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic situation with one of our state heroes, Officer Cassie Johnson with the Charleston, WV Police Department. We send our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and WV's entire law enforcement community.

Cathy and I are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic situation with one of our state heroes, Officer Cassie Johnson...

Posted by Governor Jim Justice on Wednesday, December 2, 2020

A public vigil was planned in Charleston on Wednesday night.

The suspect was identified as Joshua M. Phillips, 38. According to a criminal complaint, Phillips had been free on bond from a January 2020 weapon-related arrest, news outlets reported.

Phillips also was wounded on Tuesday and was caught a short distance away. No charges have been filed. Phillips remained hospitalized Wednesday.

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

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