New Orleans police officer survives being shot for 3rd time, authorities say
NEW ORLEANS -- A New Orleans police officer was recovering from a leg wound Monday after being shot for the third time in his law enforcement career.
Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said Officer Chris Abbott were working a private, off-duty neighborhood watch detail for the Hurstville Security and Neighborhood Improvement District when he was struck in the leg, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reports.
Police Chief Michael Harrison said the bullet went through the car door and hit the officer in the leg. He was in good condition Monday afternoon and has since been released, according to the station.
The shooter was in a light-colored SUV and was still at large. The vehicle was described as having its rear windshield either missing or shattered, WWL-TV adds.
Spokesman Aaron Looney confirmed that Abbott, a 25-year veteran of the department, had been shot previously in two separate incidents.
Archived news accounts show Abbott was on his way to a 2001 court appearance when he spotted a man with a gun and approached him. The man fired and hit Abbott.
In 1998, Abbott was wearing a protective vest when he was shot in the chest after stopping a suspect in a public housing project.
An investigation into Monday's shooting was underway. Early indications were that Abbott did not return fire in Monday's incident, Harrison said. However, he emphasized that the investigation was continuing.
"There are more questions we have to ask, information we need to get," Harrison said. "We have protocols we are going to follow to ascertain and confirm all the answers to those questions."
Abbott was one of the city's first community policing officers, a group of cops credited with helping to drastically reduce crime in the city's housing developments, WWL-TV writes.
Anyone with information about Monday's shooting or the vehicle is asked to contact (504) 658-6020.