NewsPhoenix Metro NewsCentral Phoenix News

Actions

Phoenix Police Officer Alicia Hubert recalls being shot during house call

Posted at 11:01 AM, Apr 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-09 20:53:30-04

PHOENIX — Phoenix Police Officer Alicia Hubert spoke out Thursday after she was shot during a call that left another officer injured and police commander dead.

Officer Hubert was shot in the foot by a suspect, and she was the last of the injured officers to get out of the house that night.

RELATED: Phoenix officers recovering after being shot during domestic dispute

She said once she realized her fellow officers Marissa Dowhan and Commander Greg Carnicle had also been shot, she immediately shifted her focus from her own injury to them. It likely saved her life.

“It got me to think, ‘go get the commander,’ and just that thought got me up…got me crawling…and…in those moments you’re trained to think of each other.”

She said her regular partner then ran into the house, grabbed her vest and got her to safety. She said her partner checked her vest and assured her the bullet didn’t go through before he drove her to the hospital.

She said she felt a lot of grief and a lot of shock, but there was a lot of support as well. She says she’s grateful to be alive and grateful for all of the people around her.

She said the police department prepared her well for the possibility of an injury or situation like the one she found herself in that Sunday night.

Her father, Paul Hubert, who was also on the police force and is a member of the reserve, said he was proud of his daughter.

He described receiving the call that his daughter was one of the three officers who had been shot.

"That initial phone call was one of the worst phone calls I've ever had," he said. "You just can't prepare for that."

He said they immediately got in their truck and went to the hospital, expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

He heard that "she winked and gave a thumbs up...I knew at that point she was at least physically going to be OK," he said. "I couldn't have been happier."

However, he said it was a strange mix of emotions, knowing that his daughter was going to recover, but understanding that another officer and work friend, Commander Carnicle, did not make it.

Hubert says she never got to know Carnicle personally, but "he was a good man." She says he always made her smile and it was an honor to follow him and be one of his officers.

"I would have followed him anywhere. He deserved that," Hubert said. "He was the first one up the stairs. He believed in being there for his officers and being a part of it. It meant a lot."

Hubert is recovering at home and says she suffered some lung bruising, and a broken toe.

"Cheaper pedicures, I'm sure," Hubert joked, noting that she would probably lose her toe nail due to the bullet.

"I miss work a lot. I can't wait to go back. I love my job and to me this is just hopefully a time that I can improve myself as an officer...so when I go back I am ready to just go back."

Phoenix police officials say Officer Dowhan is recovering at a medical facility and is doing well.

Watch the full interview below.