Crime & Safety

Brother: Injured MBTA Officer Richard Donohue Jr. Doing 'Awesome'

Winchester native and MBTA Officer Richard "Dic" Donohue Jr., who was injured in a firefight with the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, is recovering well at Mount Auburn Hospital, according to his brother Ed Donohue.

MBTA Officer Richard "Dic" Donohue Jr. is awake and doing "awesome" while recovering at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, his brother and Winchester Police Officer Ed Donohue, told CBS Boston.

Donohue Jr., a Winchester native, was wounded during a shoot-out with the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in Watertown.

Donohue Jr., 33, of Woburn, was hit in the leg during an early-morning shoot-out on April 19 in Watertown, authorities said. Authorities are investigating whether Donohue Jr. may have been hit by friendly fire.

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Donohue Jr. is a police officer with the Massachusetts Bay Tranportation Authority, where he has worked for three years.

Doctors at Mount Auburn Hospital said Donohue Jr. lost a massive amount of blood. At one point, he went into cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Russell Nauta. Nauta said he expects Donohue Jr. to walk again.

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A pair of Watertown firefighters helped save Donohue Jr.'s life after being shot in the thigh.

The MBTA Transit Police Benevolent Fund Inc. created a website to collect donations for Donohue Jr.'s recovery. On Saturday, the Winchester High School boys' volleyball team held a car wash fundraiser at the school in support of the wounded officer.

Donohue, a 1998 Winchester High School graduate, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 2002. Prior to joining the MBTA police force, he served as an officer for the U.S. Navy. He is married and has a 7-month-old son.

The bombing suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, allegedly killed three people and injured more than 170 by detonating bombs near the finish line of the marathon. Tamerlan died during the confrontation with police, while Dzhokhar was captured Friday night in Watertown and will be tried in federal court. The brothers are also accused of killing MIT Officer Sean Collier prior to the Watertown shoot-out with Donohue and other officers.


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