They got home just in time for a Thanksgiving dinner they’ll always remember.
Two of New York’s Finest who were wounded in a Springfield Gardens shootout earlier this week got a hero’s exit on Thursday morning from Jamaica Hospital.
Officers Christopher Wells and Joseph Murphy of the 105th Precinct were released from the medical center on Nov. 26 after surviving a brush with death while responding to a domestic violence incident in Springfield Gardens. They were hit by gunfire from an armed suspect, Rondell Goppy, who was shot dead by other responding cops.
Wells suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and fractured his femur, while Murphy sustained a bullet wound to his hand. Both men needed surgery, and will require weeks of physical rehab, to recover.
As nurses escorted them from the hospital, the two officers were met by their loved ones — and with thunderous applause from a large, masked crowd of their colleagues, including Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
The NYPD Pipe and Drum Band also played triumphantly for the officers who survived their ordeal.
Today, @NYPD105Pct Officers Wells & Murphy were released from @JamaicaHospital after being shot in the line of duty on Tuesday.
Wishing them a speedy recovery & a Happy Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/OFguXMaqmj
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 26, 2020
“Both these officers have a long road ahead of them and a lot to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving,” Shea said.
Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch was also there to greet the wounded officers upon their release from the hospital. He said Tuesday’s incident demonstrated the type of risk every NYPD officer faces on duty in protection of New Yorkers.
With reporting by Lloyd Mitchell
This story first appeared on amny.com.
