Officer shot on my ridealong

[Sktr007]

Ok to start things off I am someone who is really set on law enforcement. It seems like a great job so i signed up for a ride along with the Reno Police Department. The officer i was riding along (Officer Blas) with was really cool and let me get out on every stop we made. His shift was the graveyard shift and his beat was the south side of downtown Reno, which happens to be the redlight district. At 4:30am we got a call of an officer needing assistance apprehending a suspect. The suspect was a black male assaulting a white woman. So we roll up on the guy and he is hostile and wont comply with the officers demands to put his hands behind his back. So he finally he puts his hands on his head, but he kept eyeing the officer i was riding with. So when officer Blas went to cuff him he shook his hands loose. The two officers precede to tackle him and taze him. They finally get the cuff's on. In the meantime some black woman runs up and starts yelling at the officers saying they are using too much force (this really ****ed me off). By this time other officers arive on the scene (about 7-8). It is all quiet at this point, and the officers on scene begin to question witness's. About five minutes later i hear what sounds like firecracks, i then realize they are gunshots. Everyon hits the deck. The officers draw their guns and take cover. A few seconds pass and i hear Shots fired, shots fired, Officer down. At this point i am praying like crazy that everyone will be ok. The next 5 minutes are chaos, sirens everywhere. I hear over the radio that an ambulence will take too long so another officer drives him to the hospital. Over the next two hours the scene is full of cops from both the sheriff's office and Sparks PD. At about 7am i see my ridealong officer walk up with another officer. They say they are gonna drive me back to the station. I filled out a statement about what i saw at the initial stop, and the shooting, then i drove home. Overall the night was the most exciting, intresting, and scariest night of my life. I really got to see almost every aspect of the job, from the most mundane situation to the worst situation. I am pretty set on law enforcement even after what i saw. The officer that was shot is doing fine. He sufferd a gunshot wound to the chest and face. He underwent surgery and is recovering. The suspect is still in serious condition. For the whole story follow the link. And please...pray for the officer and his family, and the entire Reno Police Department.

http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2005/08/21/107013.php

[Creeker]

Damn.

Just Damn.

That was one hell of an experience you had.

Sorry, but my thoughts are with the Cop right now.

[Code3kd]

Jeeez....

I hope the officer's going to make a full recovery and the suspect well...ef him, I hope the A-hole gets what he deserves.

I'm glad you're okay also.

[toby101]

I hope that doesn't happen to me tonight. I am doing a ride along here with the local department. But i have total faith in the officer I am riding with.

Glad he is doing good, same with you.

[Tennsix]

I hope that doesn't happen to me tonight. I am doing a ride along here with the local department. But i have total faith in the officer I am riding with.

Glad he is doing good, same with you.

Don't you mean that you hope it doesn't happen to the officer?

[Tim Dees]

I was hanging onto this story pretty tight, as Reno PD is my old department, and the officer's name wasn't released right away. There are a few of my old friends there still working the street. The injured officer, Al DelVecchio, wasn't one of the people I had worked with, having come onto RPD only two years ago after 14 years with neighboring Sparks PD.

He was shot in the face with a .380, relatively low velocity round that didn't penetrate any farther than his sinuses. Not that this is a trivial injury, but a biggger round would have probably penetrated to a life-threatening level. His jaw has been wired shut and he is still hospitalized, but he is on the mend. When he came around after his surgery, his first responses were to ask if everyone else was all right.

DelVecchio's partner was a trainee that had been out of the academy two weeks. He shot the bad guy fiive times. The bad guy survived and is in the same hospital as DelVecchio.

I wouldn't wish getting shot or even shooting someone on anyone, but this incident could have gone a lot worse. I'm glad we won't be adding another name to that wall in Judiciary Square. Think good thoughts for Al DelVecchio.

[toby101]

Don't you mean that you hope it doesn't happen to the officer?

Yeah, I hope this situation doesn't happen to me. For the officers sake, and my sake. Sorry about the typo.

[SWH]

I wish you luck in your LE career, a speedy recovery for the officer and send a GOOD JOB to the rook.

And a big, "I hope you die" to the perp.

[bigcop97]

That is some story. Sounds like a pretty scary night.
Hope the officer recovers.

[Soon2Be]

Wow

When he came around after his surgery, his first responses were to ask if everyone else was all right.

God bless him.

[Spee-Dee]

Ok, I just read the subject as "Officer shot my ride-along". I need to get my eyes checked or something. I keep reading things backwards and mixed up.

Yeah, that does sound like a scary night. I hope he recovers all right.