VSU gives honorary degree to first-ever campus police officer shot in the line of duty

ETTRICK – Virginia State University said Wednesday it will present an honorary degree this weekend to the first campus police officer shot in the line of duty.

Officer Bruce Foster, who was paralyzed from the waist down following the Nov. 12, 2023, incident, is one of two people with ties to VSU receiving honorary degrees during Saturday’s graduation ceremonies. The other is former VSU archivist Dr. Lucious Edwards Jr., who also was an adjunct professor and active on several university committees during his tenure.

In a statement announcing the degree, VSU said Foster’s story is “one of resilience and selflessness. His acts of heroism and selflessness have earned him the respect and admiration of the entire VSU community.”

Foster, who was 39 at the time he was shot, was responding to a report of an altercation close to the western edge of the VSU campus.

According to a Chesterfield County Police report, Foster was detaining a possible suspect in the disturbance when another man came up from behind and shot the officer in the back. The shooting took place on Boisseau Street in Ettrick about 150 yards off campus.

The incident, which took place in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, prompted an on-campus lockdown that lasted for several hours

The two individuals – later identified as Deonta M. Blount, 21, of Chester; and Reginald L. King Jr., 21, of Matoaca – were later arrested. Chesterfield authorities said King was the alleged detainee and Blount the alleged shooter.

"Officer Foster's selfless actions and unfaltering dedication to protecting our campus make him a true hero," VSU president Dr. Makola M. Abdullah said in the university statement. "We are honored to award him with an honorary degree in recognition of his outstanding character and bravery. He is an inspiration to us all, and we are grateful to have him as a part of the VSU family."

Foster, a five-year veteran of the VSU Police force, will receive his degree in the first of two commencement ceremonies Saturday in the VSU Multipurpose Center. For the first time in its history, Virginia State has divided its graduation into two separate ceremonies to accommodate students’ families and friends.

The Multipurpose Center has a capacity of more than 6,000.

As for the defendants in the shooting, Blount has a preliminary hearing set for July 3 on charges of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. King, who has been charged with assault on a law-enforcement officer, has his hearing set for May 23. All will be held in Chesterfield General District Court.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Paralyzed VSU police officer will get honorary degree from school