- As Chicago cops, Officer David Hickey and his brother-in-law, Sgt. Christopher Kapa, are no strangers to facing critical split-second decisions.
Hickey was shot in the leg last year as he and three other officers from his gang investigation team chased down and arrested several suspects wanted in about a dozen drug-related slayings across the city.
Kapa made the risky decision in March to drive Officer Del Pearson to a hospital without waiting for an ambulance when the veteran tactical officer was shot and bleeding profusely from a chest wound.
On Monday, Superintendent Garry McCarthy honored Hickey, Kapa and about 70 other officers for bravery at the department’s annual awards ceremony.
Some truly sad news at the end of the article though:
- Pearson has been unable to return to work since the shooting. His arm is no longer in a sling, but he said he still feels nagging pain in his left hand due to nerve damage from the shooting.
Pearson said he hopes to return to work next year but indicated on Monday that he will likely not work on the streets again.
A two-time winner of the Award of Valor, probably won't work the streets again. We're sorry to hear that the damage done when he was shot will restrict him that badly. That part of the story never gets told enough - the walking wounded who won't ever be the same.