‘These officers were out protecting’: More than $78,000 raised for Richmond cops injured in shootout

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Two Richmond police officers were shot in the city’s southside on Tuesday morning after they responded to a report of a man with a gun on Semmes Avenue around 1:30 a.m.

The suspect, 19-year-old Waseem A. Hackett of no known permanent address, was charged a day later with malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Hackett was also served with outstanding warrants from a nearby jurisdiction. Additional charges are pending.

According to friends and family of the officers, Jason Scott and Rashad Martin are still in and out of surgeries but both are recovering.

Richmond Police Lieutenant William Brereton told 8News the partners are fairly new to the team and are stationed at the First Precinct. He said neither officer has been in the field for more than three years.

“The bravery that they exhibited that night is amazing,” Lt. Brereton said.

Two days before the shootout, Scott’s fiance posted a long message on Facebook as he headed out to cover protests that turned into riots on Saturday night. “Please, citizens of Richmond, let my officer come home to me safe at the end of the night,” the post read.

“It tears your heart out,” Lt. Brereton said. “These officers stepped up, in between the citizens of Richmond, and put their lives on the line to protect them. I don’t want that to be lost.”

Richmond Police Lieutenant William Brereton

GoFundMe pages created for both officers have already raised more than $78,000 as of Sunday, June 7. According to the pages, both men will survive.

“Jason Scott was shot late two nights ago while working. After arriving at the hospital he continued the fight for his life and after multiple surgeries, he will survive. However, he is not out of the woods yet. He still has a few more scheduled surgeries. The location where he was struck has caused damage to a wide area of his body and rehabilitation is expected to be a long and arduous process. It’s expected that it will be a long time until Jason will be able to support his family adequately again,” the GoFundMe created for Officer Scott states.

The fundraiser created for Officer Martin describes Martin as an “overall a genuine and humble guy. One of the bravest I know.”

“This go fund me is all about our support for him while he is currently going through surgeries,” the GoFundMe added.

“While people slept,” Brereton said, “these officers were out protecting.”

Click here to donate to Officer Jason Scott’s GoFundMe.

Click here to donate to Officer Rashad Martin’s GoFundMe.