Ithaca (WSYR-TV) – Officials in the city of Ithaca confirmed on Monday reports that an officer who was shot and injured in the line of duty Friday morning had a stroke sometime after the incident.
They also confirmed that the stroke has left Ithaca Police officer Anthony Augustine with impaired vision and that his left arm and hand are not fully functioning. Police say the movement of the arm is tentative and they’re concerned he may not regain his mobility.
Augustine was shot while chasing suspected car thief Jamel Booker. Police say the officer was wearing his bulletproof vest, but he was hit in the upper left chest, just missing the vest.
Officer Augustine remains at the hospital in stable condition.
A preliminary investigation found that Booker had stolen a vehicle that he found with keys inside at around 11 p.m. Thursday night.
Booker fled the vehicle and there was a foot chase, police said, and as Augustine approached, Booker fired the shot.
The Ithaca SWAT team caught Booker just before 5 a.m. about a quarter mile from where the shooting happened in the West Hill area of the city. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police say that Booker has a prior record that they believe includes a felony violent crime.
Booker has been charged with aggravated assault of a police officer and criminal use of a firearm. He is being held on $500,000 cash bail or $1 million bond.
