MURRAY, Utah -- Presumably from his hospital bed, injured Unified Police Officer Jon Richey paid his respects to fallen Officer Doug Barney on Facebook.
“God bless you brother. Our time was cut too damn short. Way too damn short,” Richey wrote on his Facebook page.
Barney was shot and killed when he responded to a traffic accident in Holladay Sunday morning in the area of 2100 East and 4500 South. Richey, who responded to the scene, was shot and injured in the legs during an exchange of gunfire with shooter Cory Lee Henderson, according to Unified police.
Richey was taken to Intermountain Medical Center where he is recovering from his injuries. He’s been upgraded to fair condition.
“Where Jon’s focus is, is currently on Officer Barney’s family,” said Sgt. Chad Reyes, who works with Richey.
Barney was killed minutes before Richey was shot. The two worked as shift partners, often taking calls together.
"He's overwhelmed by the well wishes and the number of visitors he's received but really he wants to deflect some of that attention," Reyes said of Richey.
Richey is well known within local law enforcement circles for his work with police K-9s.
"He's been called several times the ‘Doggie Lama.’ As I mentioned, Jon takes dog training very seriously," said Reyes, noting Richey had claimed several national and international awards for police dog training.
Speaking on behalf of a small and generally close group of officers who handle K-9 units, Reyes expressed both gratitude and sorrow.
“We’re very grateful we still have Jon, we’re also very sorry for Officer Barney’s family and we want to express our sympathies as well,” Reyes said.
