STAT speaks out after their president is injured in a shooting

JACKSON, Tenn. — A well known animal rescue group speaks out after their president was injured in a shooting.

Members with ‘Saving the Animals Together’ say what happened to their president, Wendy Pickett, rocked them to their core.

“It’s still not real,” event and marketing coordinator Maggie Crowder said.

That’s how members of STAT feel about their president, Wendy Pickett, getting injured in a Saturday afternoon shooting.

Currently, Pickett is at Vanderbilt in stable but critical condition.

“We immediately sprang into action to make sure her dogs were taken care of, and that we could help her family as much as possible,” Crowder said.

Members of the well known animal welfare organization group say they feel like something is missing.

“She has always just been, ‘animals first, people second,’ and that really has been a driving force behind our organization,” Crowder said.

“Wendy really makes doing animal welfare the joy that it is,” Crowder said.

Not only do STAT members know her as someone who advocates passionately for several animal welfare issues, but also as a tough and dependable person.

“She’s a rock, and I absolutely love Wendy,” Crowder said.

“She’ll tell you how it is, she’s very blunt and she is just very straightforward, matter of fact, but she is so loving in everything she does,” Crowder added.

Members said they’re overwhelmed and grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers from the community.

“We knew that Wendy was loved by the community and that we were supported, but this is just been an amazing response and we are just so unbelievably humbled,” Crowder said.

One of Pickett’s friends started a Facebook fundraiser for medical expenses.

According to JPD, the suspect will be arraigned in court Tuesday morning, and official charges are expected.