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May 16, 2008 6:44 am US/Eastern
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Bergenfield, N.J. Cop Shot On Vacation In Bahamas
Veteran Officer In Stable Condition Following Surgery
Cops: Suspects In Botched Robbery Still At Large
BERGENFIELD, N.J. (CBS) ―
A veteran officer with the Bergenfield Police Department was shot in the chest Wednesday night in an incident investigators are calling a botched purse snatching.
It is the kind of tragedy that sadly happens to people in law enforcement, but in the case of 49-year-old Officer John Casper there is a twist. It happened to him while he was far away from this job. He was off duty and on vacation in the Bahamas.
It made for a shocking call that Bergenfield Police Chief Rick McGarril said was the last thing he was expecting.
"We worry about getting home safely every day. Nobody expects this to happen while an officer is on vacation. So everybody is shocked. A few of his colleagues had tears in their eyes," McGarril said.
Police in the Bahamas say Officer Casper was with three friends on a street in the island's capital city of Nassau when a would-be robber approached them and tried to snatch a purse.
Witnesses told police Officer Casper struggled with the suspect as another suspect came out of the darkness and shot him in the chest. The suspects are on the loose.
A friend of Officer Casper's, Lou Agnese, said, "I'm praying to God everything is good. He is a tremendous asset to this police station and to the community."
Officer Casper's wife and three children were not in the Bahamas with him at the time.
Casper underwent surgery and is hospitalized in stable condition, but he is not well enough to be transported home. That should happen early next week.
Please stay with CBS 2 HD and wcbstv.com for more on this developing story.
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