NORTH MIAMI, Fla., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The adopted son of a North Miami, Fla., detective was wounded by another North Miami detective and family friend after a chase, officials said.
James Ruggiero, 16, who was adopted as a baby after being found in a garbage bin, was listed in critical but stable condition following surgery for a ruptured colon after he was shot in the chest, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.
"He has come so far for something like this to happen," said his mother Kathleen Ruggiero, whose work with disadvantaged children has earned national praise.
James Ruggiero was one of four teens suspected of burglarizing a store Sunday. Police chased the youth, who "placed an officer's life in fear and the police officer fired his duty weapon," a police-issued news release said. Police alleged Ruggiero had a steak knife, which the teen's family disputes, the Herald said.
Kathleen Ruggiero, a domestic violence detective, has adopted or cared for more than 70 needy children while on the force, the Herald reported. She now cares for nine adopted children.
In 2003, CBS named her an ''American Hero.'' She also has been featured on CNN and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," and was invited to a police ceremony with former President Bill Clinton.
North Miami Beach Nelson Reyes, a family friend, shot the teen during the incident.
"He's torn up about the whole thing because he knows the Ruggiero family. It's sad all the way around," Reyes' union attorney, David Macey, told the Herald.
