Oct 13, 2007 12:41 pm US/Eastern
Injured Officer Makes First Public Appearance
by Erika von Tiehl
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
For the first time the public is hearing from Officer Jody Wright, the Miami-Dade Police Officer who survived the fatal shooting last month that killed her colleague. She was part of a walk Friday night in Cutler Bay.
"Everyday you send your husband to work, you pray he comes home at night," said Susie Rosario, the wife of Miami-Dade Police Officer.
But too many nights in the last weeks, Miami-Dade Police officers are not making it home. Officer Jody Wright was one of them, injured in a shootout that took the life of Officer Jose Somohano.
"I had people come up to me when I was on the scene down there, and say to me, 'look, you gotta find these guys, whatever it takes,'" said Officer Ernie Sullivan.
That's why Officer Petra Reeve brought her niece and nephew to join the walk against violence.
"It's very important to show them that they need to be responsible and that they need to care about what's going on with the officers in the community," said Miami-Dade Officer Petra Reeve.
"They give their lives for us," said 10-year-old Zaiah Lewis. "Without them, this world would be an awful place."
Children and adults alike joined in the walk, led by Officer Wright.
Rosa is a woman who drove from Ft. Lauderdale with her grandson Michael in honor of Jody and the officer that didn't make it.
"When you loose a life like that, it's important," said Rosa.
Support continues to climb, and then the walk is over but the evening isn't.
The evening is illuminated as is Officer Wright, signing an autographing in a Bible. She's the community's hero.
"I'm grateful, I'm grateful and thankful and grateful for everyone and everything people have done for me," said Wright.
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