A U.S. Virgin Island police officer has died four months after an a on-duty gunshot wound left him paralyzed.
Officer Colvin George died in a Miami, Fla., hospital Saturday morning from injuries sustained in a May by a suspect who was killed in the shoot out, according to the local newspaper The St. Croix Source.
Georges and fellow officer Aaron Hodge both came under fire at a car wash on St. Thomas where a fatal shooting had occurred just before the May 26 attack that injured the two officers, according to the paper. Hodge was released a few days after the incident while Georges was gravely injured, paralyzed from the neck down and airlifted to Florida after the shooting.
The reported shooter in the incident had been arrested in April with crack cocaine, powder cocaine and marijuana all packaged for sale. The suspect also had a handgun.
Georges joined the Virgin Island Police Department in 2010 after graduating from police academy where he earned the exemplary service award and achieved the highest physical fitness score for men, according to the newspaper.
In a statement released by the Virgin Island Police Department, Governor John deJongh Jr. offered deepest sympathies to Georges’ family.
“We will remember Officer Georges for his service to the community during his career with the VIPD and perhaps, more importantly, we will remember his fight to overcome the grave injuries he sustained in the gunfight against the criminal element,” DeJongh said in the statement. “We all share the grief of the loss of this public servant. ... Our community appreciates the efforts of these dedicated law enforcement professionals and public servants who take to the streets of the Virgin Islands each day to ensure the safety of our communities.”
