Braintree rallies around wounded police officers, remembers fallen K-9

Hundreds of people gathered in front of Braintree Town Hall Monday night to offer well wishes to two police officers shot in an ambush Friday and to remember K-9 Kitt, who was slain.

“It’s overwhelming, the support. It shows you how much the community cares about the police department and the serious nature of what took place. We’re very thankful,” Braintree Police Chief Mark Dubois said.

Officers Matt Donoghue and Bill Cushing are recovering from gunshot wounds they suffered responding to a domestic 911 call at the Braintree Village apartment complex Friday. Both officers were shot multiple times after following the 34-year-old suspect, Andrew Homen, into nearby woods. Homen died as a result of the fatal shootout.

Donoghue was released by Boston Medical Center Saturday and was able to throw out a pitch at Fenway Park Monday, but Cushing — a 15-year-veteran of the force — remains hospitalized in serious condition for his injuries.

Cushing’s K-9 partner, Kitt, was killed during what police called “an ambush.” The loyal dog served the force for 12 years.

A friend of the police officers, Sean Powers, organized the standout Monday night to raise money for both the officers’ families and to support local K-9 organizations in Kitt’s memory. People came out from all over town to sign banners thanking the officers for their sacrifice, and to buy T-shirts memorializing Kitt.

“It’s very heartwarming. Braintree might be a community of 37,000 people, but at the end of the day, it’s very close. It’s very tight-knit,” Powers said.

Chief Dubois said they plan to hold a ceremony honoring Kitt after Cushing is released from the hospital. Officers will attend counseling and debriefings all this week.

“We have a few big hurdles to get over. The first one, obviously, is to get Bill out of the hospital. Then, we’ll honor Kitt the best we can. And that’s honestly therapeutic for us,” he told the Herald.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2RvOUHQ