An Illinois police officer who sustained three gunshot wounds to the neck and jaw has since managed to fulfil a dream. Five years after the tragic incident, having suffered a traumatic brain injury, he has been honorarily promoted to the rank of detective.
Park Forest police officer Timothy Jones, 29, was new on the force when he was critically wounded during a shootout in March 2016. He was escorting an armed suspect into custody when shots were fired.
Doctors feared he wouldn’t survive his injuries, but miraculously, he pulled through.
According to Jones’s father William, former police chief of Country Club Hills, the promotion was his son’s goal “from day one.”
![Detective Timothy Jones (Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/parkforestpolice">Park Forest Police Department</a>)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F03%2F19%2FTimothy-Jones-3-1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
![Jones heading home from the Marionjoy Rehabilation Hospital after more than 12 months of intensive rehabilitation (Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/parkforestpolice">Park Forest Police Department</a>)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F03%2F19%2FTimothy-Jones-6-1.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
In a ceremony on March 15, the honorary title of detective was bestowed on the heroic law enforcement officer. Family and colleagues described him as a model of hope and inspiration.
“But what an incredible man, what an incredible officer. He was that on the street in uniform, and he continues to be that in person today.”
![Jones pictured on Christmas Eve 2020 (Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/parkforestpolice">Park Forest Police Department</a>)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F03%2F18%2FTimothy-Jones-8.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The determined rookie defied the odds and continues to improve every day.