Shot Arlington Heights officer released from hospital
Arlington Heights Officer Michael McEvoy started the new year out of the hospital, police said Wednesday.
Police announced this week that McEvoy, the officer shot in the face while responding to a domestic disturbance last month, was released from the hospital Dec. 27 and is continuing his rehabilitation.
“He still has a long road of recovery in front of him,” said police Capt. Andrew Whowell. “He is expected to make a full recovery, but it's going to be a lengthy process.”
Whowell said McEvoy, 52, is still receiving ongoing medical attention at a private location and has asked to keep many of the details about his recovery out of the media.
Whowell said the department has received many inquiries from the public about McEvoy's condition and they appreciate the concern.
McEvoy was the first police officer to respond to 911 calls made Dec. 12 after Eric M. Anderson, 41, of Niles tracked down his ex-girlfriend to her mother's Arlington Heights townhouse and threatened people in the home with a gun. When McEvoy entered the house, Anderson shot him in the face, authorities said.
Colleagues were able to drag McEvoy to safety and a paramedic who was visiting family nearby likely saved his life, police said. Meanwhile, Anderson took his ex-girlfriend hostage in the home in what turned into a lengthy standoff. The standoff ended, police said, when Anderson exited the home through its garage and pointed his gun at officers, who fatally shot him.
The shooting remains under investigation by Illinois State Police, which is standard procedure for an officer-involved shooting.
Court documents showed that Anderson had been stalking his ex-girlfriend, a Crystal Lake woman who had taken out an order of protection against him earlier that week in McHenry County.
McEvoy, who has been with the Arlington Heights Police Department for more than 20 years, was put into a medically induced coma for several days following the shooting, but police said his injuries could have been much worse.
“He is in good spirits and his prognosis is good,” Whowell said Wednesday.