A Wounded Officer Is Home

A young police officer from Abbeville spent days in the hospital after she was shot while doing her job last week.

Now officer Kaitlyn Rudesill is home.

Earlier this week Rudesill had a procedure on her lungs, and now they are functioning properly.

The community of Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, other law enforcement agencies, the public and various businesses have all combined to help out this rookie officer.

The Lafayette Police Officer's Association # 905 is one of the organizations that has been working to help the officer and her family. They have set up a Go Fund Me account to collect donation for the young woman.

Because the officer was on the job when shot, she is receiving Workman's Compensation, meaning she is only receiving sixty percent of her salary.

Lieutenant Jonathan Touchet of the Abbeville Police Department joined Rob and Bernie on "Acadiana's Morning News" earlier this week, and he pointed out that Rudesill, as a rookie officer, was supplementing her income by doing private security work.

It will still be some time until she will be able to get back to work and her additional security jobs.

Sudesill says she is very thankful for how so many people have come together to help her and her family,

Kaitlyn has expressed her overwhelming gratitude for the first responders that came to the scene to help her, the medical personnel who have worked tirelessly to get her stable enough to go home, the law enforcement personnel who didn't sleep until the suspect was captured, and everyone who has so generously donated to help her financially during her recovery.

Officer Sudesill has a long road to fully recover from her injuries, and a variety of entities are supporting her.

The Lafayette Police Association of Lafayette # 905,

The Police Association of Lafayette would be amiss if we didn't mention our community partners who have stepped up to the plate. @Audubon Lake Apartment complex, who's management is the best in the business and very pro law enforcement, immediately offered Kaitlyn's family a fully furnished apartment in Lafayette, free of charge, once they learned she was being treated at Lafayette General, @KPEL News helped get the message out on how the community could help Kaitlyn, @The Middlebrook Foundation who has pledged financial contributions to help Kaitlyn's recovery, but most importantly to this Greater Acadiana Community, who always show that they back the blue.

If you click here, you will be directed to KPEL's story about how you can make a donation.

David Stanley, a representative with the Police Association of Lafayette, says they will continue to send out information about the Go Fund Me account, but anyone needing other information about Rudesill, are asked to call her attorney, James Klock of Lafayette.