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One year later: Shot Arlington Hts. cop recovering, investigation ongoing

One year after an Arlington Heights police officer was shot while responding to a domestic dispute, Police Chief Gerald Mourning said he is proud of how his department responded and how well it rebounded from that scary night.

The officer who was shot in the neck continues to recover and the investigation into the shooting and the hostage situation that followed is not complete, but officials said the events of that night have only made the department stronger.

On Dec. 12, 2013, officer Mike McEvoy was the first officer to get to a townhouse on the 1900 block of Windham Court, where police had been told a man with a gun was inside.

The man, Eric Anderson of Niles, had gotten into the home of his ex-girlfriend's mother and was threatening his former girlfriend, her mother and one of her mother's friends with a gun.

When McEvoy got there, he heard gunshots. He went inside the townhouse and managed to get the mother and mother's friend out safely. But when he went back inside to get the girlfriend out, Anderson shot him in the face.

Three backup officers - Kevin Sullivan, Michael Turano and Douglas Glanz - got to the scene within seconds of the shooting. They dragged McEvoy to safety.

Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Koeppen - who has since been promoted to Arlington Heights fire chief - was down the block visiting family when shots rang through the quiet neighborhood off Palatine Road. He ran outside and gave what proved to be lifesaving first aid to McEvoy.

McEvoy was rushed to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he underwent several surgeries and would spend 16 days in intensive care.

"He nearly lost his life," Mourning said.

On Windham Court, it had become a hostage situation between Anderson - inside with his former girlfriend - and police outside. Several hours into the standoff, however, Anderson walked out of the house through the garage, pointed a gun at officers and was shot to death, police said.

McEvoy has refused all media interviews since the shooting and has asked for privacy.

A Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois State Police public integrity unit was denied last month because the investigation into the shooting and death of Anderson is still ongoing.

Mourning said Arlington Heights has submitted everything it needs to to the state, but that these investigations normally take a long time.

"I know what the findings are going to be based on the facts," he said. "They had no choice to do anything else but that."

A year later, Mourning said he is proud of how his officers responded to the shooting, which he said was the most serious incident that's happened in his decade of service with Arlington Heights.

McEvoy was recognized in March with the L.W. Calderwood Officer of the year award and Koeppen and the other officers involved were also commended for their heroism.

"They didn't miss a beat. They all put themselves in harm's way and I'm very proud of their efforts that evening," Mourning said.

While the department has not changed any of its procedures since the shooting, Mourning said it has reminded officers to always be vigilant.

"An incident like that ... reminds you that you really can never be complacent," Mourning said. "You really have to stay focused when responding to calls in the community."

Mourning said McEvoy visited the station a few weeks ago to attend an employee appreciation luncheon honoring him for completing 25 years of service.

"He was in good spirits and looks forward to coming back," Mourning said.

McEvoy could be back at work in as little as two months, he said.

"It'll be a wonderful day," Mourning said. "We knew it was going to take quite a while, but that will put a big smile on a lot of people's faces."

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