Federal Way police officer speaks about shooting

A police officer shot while stopping a burglary in Puyallup is speaking out for the first time since being hospitalized.

Federal Way Police Officer Donovan Heavener, a 27-year law enforcement veteran, recounted the shooting that took place on Halloween morning. Heavener said he was on a morning jog and ran by Jennings Equipment in Puyallup.

“I went on a run that I’d gone on numerous times in the past,” Heavener said. “I saw two guys right at the front door (at Jennings Equipment in Puyallup) putting a strap on the door handles and saw two trucks.”

Once Heavener realized a burglary was taking place, he called 911 while standing behind a pole across the street from the store. He said it wasn’t long before the burglars saw him.

“Something caught their eye and they got a glimpse of me. They pulled the strap off the door, they both hopped in their trucks, and they both hopped away,” he said. “But one went cross the street to a parking lot and I could see the guy getting out of his truck. Next thing I know, I had a pain in my stomach and at that point I knew I was shot.”

“I was on the phone with 911 and they were trying to figure out where I was at, but I knew I needed help,” he said. “I was trying to flag cars down and someone finally stopped… Next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. They took part of my intestine, resected my colon, and took my appendix out. I just knew I had a lot of drains coming out of me and a big, like, vacuum seal on my chest holding me together.”

Heavener credits multiple first responders and agencies for saving his life, including Puyallup police, Pierce County fire, Tacoma General Hospital, the Federal Way Police Department, and the many who wished him well.

“Without them, I mean, things could be a lot different,” he said. “I think if you talk to just about any cop, they’ll tell you that they got into this because they wanted to make a difference in someone’s life. And since this happened, I found out that I have made a difference in people’s lives... When we get into law enforcement, we do take an oath of office. And it is to uphold the laws of our municipalities, but also of the state of Washington. Nothing in there says that you only have to uphold that oath during specific work hours. So we’re really on the job all the time and a lot of people really don’t understand that. Whether it’s a community that I live in, that I work in, that I visit - just wherever I’m at, I want it to be a better place and I’ll do what I need to do.”

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and burglary. If you have any information that could help detectives, you are asked to call Puyallup police at 253-770-3343 or email at tips@puyallupwa.gov.

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