Updated: Wounded officer remains in critical condition.

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Updated: Wounded officer remains in critical condition.
Peter Laboy was carried into a helicopter after being shot in the head by Kashif Bashir while on duty in 2013. Derrick Perkins, who was Times editor, won a Virginia Press Association award for this photograph.
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Updated 4:18 p.m. Friday

By Derrick Perkins and Melissa Quinn

The Alexandria police officer wounded in a shooting Wednesday remains in critical condition, Alexandria Police Department officials say.

Peter Laboy sustained one gun shot to the head after conducting a traffic stop near the intersection of Wilkes and South St. Asaph streets. He was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital where he underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon and remains listed as critical but stable.

The next 72 hours are crucial for the officer, said department spokesman Jody Donaldson.

Following his court hearing Thursday morning, Kashif Bashir — the suspect charged in the shooting of an Alexandria police officer — has been ordered to be held without bail, Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Sengel said.

The suspect will appear before a district judge April 10 for a preliminary hearing and has been assigned a public defender.

The veteran police officer remains in critical condition in a Washington hospital after being shot at least once during a traffic stop near Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in south Old Town, authorities said.

Police Chief Earl Cook identified the wounded officer as  Laboy during an 8 p.m. press conference. Laboy suffered several injuries, the most serious being a gunshot wound to the head, Cook said.  A family man, Laboy also is an Alexandria resident who has served in the department for 17 years, the chief said.

“Words cannot express how we fell about this horrific event,” Cook said.

Authorities identified the man they say shot Laboy as Bashir, a 27-year-old from Woodbridge, Va, Wednesday evening. The Pakistani national faces malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony charges. Cook said he believed Bashir is a naturalized citizen.

What sparked the chain of events that eventually led to the shooting and police chase remains unclear. Officials maintain Laboy stopped the cab for a minor traffic infraction, but the Washington Post reports police began looking for Bashir after he allegedly harassed employees at a King Street boutique.

Police Officer Peter LaBoy (Courtesy APD)

LaBoy ultimately stopped the taxi cab shortly before noon. As he approached an Alexandria Yellow Cab taxi, the driver – allegedly Bashir – opened fire. Laboy did not return fire.

Bashir then fled the scene, police said, prompting a chase that involved several nearby jurisdictions. Officers caught up with the taxi cab in Fairfax County after pursuing the vehicle for several miles.

A U.S. Parks Police helicopter took off from Lyles-Crouch’s nearby athletic field and playground area around noon, airlifting the injured officer to the Washington hospital.

Parents of children at the nearby school received a letter from the principal shortly after the incident, reporting that the officer was shot after approaching a “suspicious cab” at that intersection. According to the letter, two shots were fired and the officer collapsed. Though police have not said whether any students were present during the shooting, the letter states that two classes were out on the school’s playground and were evacuated into the building. The school was immediately locked down, the principal wrote.

Kyle Summer, general manager of Alexandria Yellow Cab, has confirmed to several media outlets that Bashir was a company contractor, and shared the taxi with his father.

Following the news of Laboy’s injuries, donations poured in to the Alexandria Police Department, said a representative from the Alexandria Police Foundation.

Donations are being accepted by the Alexandria Police Association on behalf of the LaBoy family, and those interested in contributing can drop off a donation at the Alexandria Police Department, 3600 Wheeler Ave., or send them to the Alexandria Police Association c/o Peter Laboy, P.O. Box 1228, Alexandria, 22313.

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