PLAQUEMINE — Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Captain Brett Stassi Jr. has been discharged from the hospital and is now at home recovering.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers, encouragement, and support from the
community, fellow law enforcement agencies, and first responders during this difficult time,”
said Sheriff Brett Stassi. “Your kindness and compassion have meant more than words can
express.”
Stassi Jr. and Iberville Deputy Charles Riley were shot in a deadly courthouse shooting on Oct. 6th. Deputy Riley did not survive his injuries. Sheriff Stassi has asked for everyone to please continue to keep his family in your prayers. “This has been extremely difficult for them, and for our entire staff, but we will heal together.” Riley was 33 and began his life of service with the United States Navy before going into law enforcement. “I don’t know that I could be the way they are,” he said of Riley’s family. “They are a true class act.”
The sheriff said Stassi Jr. came off the ventilator on Oct. 29th and was able to sit up as well as stand, an improvement in his overall functionality.
“They’re just trying to get him where he can get out the bed; you can’t just lay on your back for that long. You’ve got to get up and move around, shake that (mucous) loose in your lungs,” Sheriff Stassi said at that time.
Captain Stassi Jr. was wounded in the shooting in Iberville Parish. He lost a lot of blood, and sustained injuries to his kidney, spleen, part of his pancreas, and a section of his colon, and was airlifted to a hospital shortly after he was shot.
The captain’s spirits are positive, especially when he has visitors, but he’s also anxious to keep moving forward, Sheriff Stassi said.
“He wants to just keep going forward, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do—it’s one day at a time,” he said.
READ NOW: How to help Capt. Stassi & donate blood
Earlier this month, Caroline Stassi, Captain Stassi’s mother, updated on his status: “Brett vows to work hard to get better. Each day he amazes his care team with his grit and determination to improve.”
“He is receiving excellent care and we are so grateful to so many,” she added.
UWK has learned Stassi Jr. had two surgeries after the shooting. The first, on that Monday night, was to save his life and prevent him from bleeding out. His second surgery was the following Wednesday morning, and according to family, it went “as well as possible.”
During last Wednesday’s surgery, doctors removed additional tissue and closed his bullet wound, which had remained open since that Monday night.
The bullet was millimeters from both Stassi Jr.’s spine and aorta. Family said, “He is truly a walking miracle. The surgeon said, ‘Someone obviously wants him here with us,’ and when we said, ‘We want him here,’ she replied, ‘No someone higher than both me and you’.”
Caroline Stassi said that doctors have told the family that patients with traumatic injuries like Captain Stassi Jr. need “surgery, medicines and time to heal.”
“The initial surgeries have been completed, medicines are being administered around the clock and now we are just down to “time,” she said.
After the tragic shooting, Sheriff Brett Stassi took time to express his gratitude for the outpouring of support immediately following the shooting at the courthouse.
I am at a loss for words.
Today, I reach out not as the sheriff, but as a parent. I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming love, support, and—most of all—the prayers that have been offered for Deputy Charles Riley and my son, Brett Michael, since the tragic events on Monday night.
The number of people who stood in long lines to donate blood, the meals, the calls, texts, and emails—we have seen them all, and we feel your kindness. While I may not have been able to respond to everyone, please know how much it means to our families and the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Our community is truly a blessing, and we are profoundly thankful.
Our son is still in ICU at Our Lady of the Lake, but with your continued prayers for him and his medical team, we are confident that he will recover.
Please continue to pray for Deputy Charles Riley’s family. He paid the ultimate sacrifice—let us never forget him.
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