ST. LOUIS — It's been a tough time for the St. Louis Metro Police Department. Two officers were involved in a crash on I-64 on Monday, and the two others were shot in the line of duty Wednesday.
Emotions are running high as first responders band together hoping their own will pull through.
"I'm asking for the public to pray for our officer, but this is a rough time," St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief John Hayden said.
Hayden was struggling to hold back tears when he discussed how two of his officers were shot in the line of duty during Wednesday's press conference outside of Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
"We're hearing about critical incidents daily and it's just tough. You know, I mean here our officers are working hard, doing everything they can to keep people safe and we keep having these critical incidents," Hayden said.
Law enforcement officers and employees gathered at the St. Louis Police Officers Association Office waiting for updates, that's where President Jay Schroeder went after visiting the hospital.
"I was driving home and I got the text that you never want to get was we had two policemen shot," Schroeder said.
This comes after two St. Louis police officers were injured in a car crash on I-64 on Monday.
"You get up every day and you put your uniform on and you go to work and your plan is to come home and then when these things happen it brings it all back to you that when I get up every day and I put my uniform on that I may not come home," Schroeder said.
That was the reality for more than 160 of the city's officers who died in the line of duty.
A memorial with pictures of each one hangs inside the department's headquarters.
"I think sometimes people don't quite understand that when they say defund the police or say some things like that, they don't really understand what these guys are doing every day," Schroeder said.
Now he and everyone in the department anxiously wait, hoping the two officers who were shot, recover.
"It just seems like our first responders in the city has been taking it in on the chin here the last few weeks, but these guys are resilient. Everybody is resilient. They'll get back to protecting the community, but it's always tough when you have these multiple incidents," Schroeder said.
Schroeder wanted the families of the injured officers to know to reach out to the St. Louis Police Officers Association if they need anything.
As of Thursday morning, the two officers injured in the shooting remain hospitalized.
The BackStoppers Inc. is now helping the four St. Louis police officers injured in the line of duty this week.
"We are keeping these four brave officers in our prayers during their recovery process, and we are honored to provide this assistance for medical bills and other expenses," BackStoppers said in an announcement Thursday on its website.
If you want more information on donating to The BackStoppers Inc., click here.