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Essay On Mcdonald's Shooting

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A miracle NYPD Detective Steven McDonald who was shot 30 years ago and left paralyzed, has passed away Tuesday afternoon after suffering a heart attack just days ago. McDonald, 59, died shortly after 1 pm at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island where he was on In July of 1986, McDonald was working as an undercover cop in Central Park, where he stopped to question three suspicious boys. During the stop, one of the boys, Shavod Jones pulled out a .22-caliber and shot McDonald three times. One of the bullets hit McDonald in his neck, piercing through his spinal cord and ultimate paralyzing him. McDonald was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and doctors believed he wouldn’t make it through the night. McDonald was left quadriplegic, unable to breathe on his own, and would depend on a ventilator to breathe for the rest of his life. Eight months after the shooting, McDonald publicly forgave Jones during his son Conor’s christening. …show more content…

"I forgive him, and hope that he can find peace and purpose in his life.” Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was paroled in 1995 after serving eight and a half years in prison. Days after being released, Jones, ironically died after suffering a head injury while riding on the back of a speeding motorcycle. The accident occurred just a short distance from where Jones shot McDonald. Remaining an active member in the NYPD, McDonald would spend the next 30 years speaking and mentoring young NYPD officers during roll call, attending every single brothers and sisters in blue graduation ceremonies and funerals. “Steven probably met every NYPD officer and addressed every precinct in the last 20 years,” former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton said. “He attended every single graduation and it was his desire to stay on the active duty rolls after the horrific injuries he suffered and he truly stayed on duty." Pat Lynch, President of the PBA, called McDonald “a true American

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