Officer Brennan was smiling as he was steered through the lobby. His wife, Janet, was crying as she walked alongside him through the wall of blue. Brennan, who wore a New York Giants jersey, was immediately escorted into a waiting vehicle.
Police say Brennan chased 21-year-old /*Luis Ortiz*/ into the back of the /*Bushwick Houses*/ on January 31. Both had their guns drawn. A struggle ensued, and the result was caught on surveillance video.
"They struggle and fall into sort of an alcove, where you can't actually see the shooting," NYPD Commissioner /*Ray Kelly*/ said. "But you see Ortiz with his arm around the officer's head, and then he's shot. The fact of the matter is this officer was shot point-blank range with a .38-caliber revolver. Thank God he's alive."
Doctors say his skull was just thick enough to stop the bullet. They were able to pull the slug out of bone, instead of his brain. Brennan suffered mild brain damage from the bullet. It mostly caused a loss of some peripheral vision. His doctor says that's the only obvious outward sign that Brennan was shot.
Commissioner Kelly says Brennan is "totally functioning" and is excited to return home to his baby daughter.
Ortiz is being held without bail, charged with first-degree attempted murder and other felony counts. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck payed a visit to the officer and his family once he arrived home.
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