STATESVILLE, N.C. — Editor's Note: The Statesville Police Department has chosen not to release this officer's photo to respect his privacy.
A Statesville police officer is recovering after he was shot in Monday’s deadly standoff in Charlotte.
Statesville police said Corporal Casey Hoover is part of the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force which was serving those warrants. Police Chief David Onley said Cpl. Hoover is on the road to recovery and is in good spirits. He describes Hoover as quiet and reserved, but a hard-working man. Onley is glad to see him getting better.
Chief Onley said getting the call that one of his officers was shot Monday is one of the hardest things that come with the job. Cpl. Hoover has been with the department since 2016 and has been with the task force for two years.
Statesville police department said he was shot in the upper torso, an area unprotected by his bulletproof vest. He was rushed to a Level I trauma center in Charlotte. He underwent surgery but is now in stable condition. Chief Onley said the bullet missed any vital organs and doctors were able to remove the bullet.
“I saw him the day of the incident before he went up in the elevator to go up for surgery and I had some concerns just by the way he looked,” said Chief Onley. “But then I saw him yesterday,” he continued to say with a sigh of relief, “and he was back to his normal self. He was talking, joking -- the normal Casey we all know. He is in great spirits. I’m supposed to see him later today and his wife has not left his side.”
Onley said there’s been an overwhelming level of support for Hoover and the department across the community. He also said Cpl. Hoover is anxious to get back in his uniform and out with his team.
“He wants to get back to what he does, he loves working with that group of guys. They were tight to another level,” said Chief Onley. “It’s one thing to be with a police department but it another thing when you have a small group like that, that works together and does this kind of job,” said Chief Onley, who adds Hoover is coming to the difficult terms that some of his team members were killed Monday.
May also happens to be Law Enforcement Appreciation Month, which some people said makes Monday’s tragedy even harder. With memorials and events planned through the month, more names will be added to the list of fallen heroes.
Folks in Statesville are also keeping the ones hurt in their hearts including Cpl. Hoover.
“I think the hardest thing as a person, let’s forget law enforcement -- you think just as a person when you see that gurney come out with an American flag draped over it -- I don’t care how tough you are it breaks you, internally,” said Rodney James, President of the Iredell County Fraternal Order of Police.
Broken is how he described feeling knowing a member of his FOP was hurt in the shooting and he was familiar with others ambushed that Monday. He said every loss weighs heavily on him.
“I’m heartbroken and I’m saddened. I draw back to when we lost Sheldon out of Mooresville PD,” said James.
James is already making plans to visit Hoover again. He said when it comes to those in uniform, they are one family.
“I respect him for what he does and went down to see him in the hospital Monday, and we are going there again tonight,” said James.
Mt. Hermon Lutheran Church Pastor Cam Duecker, a former police officer. He said the tragedy also hits close to home.
“In times like in tragedies like this week, it really highlights the risks that they go through,” he said. “The difficulties to try and balance that public servant but at the same time still try and curb dangerous men and women and protect the community as a whole.”
In honor of law enforcement appreciation month, the church is hosting its annual first responders breakfast on May 11, running from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The FOP is also hosting a memorial and dedication ceremony on May 21. Its new memorial site is under construction but should be ready for the ceremony. James said they plan to honor those who serve and fallen heroes.
“We just want to remember them. They gave the ultimate sacrifice just like our military; they do it abroad and we do at home,” said James.
Both the church and the FOP are raising money for Cpl. Hoover as he recovers.
Statesville Police also shared this GoFundMePage to fundraise for Cpl. Hoover's needs, medical expenses, and his family.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.