Detective Steven D. McDonald was shot and paralyzed from the neck down in 1986 by a teenager who was stealing a bike in Central Park.
Despite his injuries, McDonald went on to famously forgive the teenager. He died at the age of 59 in 2017.
His son Conor and widow, Patti Ann McDonald, shared their story of love, loss and commitment on Thursday with NYPD recruits inside a building that now bears their family name.
"My dad truly believed in the good of everyone and he knew that his service to the city would help even the most hardened individuals find love in their heart," NYPD Capt. Conor McDonald said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch also joined the 100 recruits at the academy.
"Steven understood what this place represented, the future of the department, and the beginning of a life in service to New York City," Tisch said.
In July of 1986, a 15-year-old robbery suspect shot the then-29-year-old officer. McDonald spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair and needed a breathing device but never lost his will to live.
McDonald stayed on with the NYPD as an ambassador of peace and became a fixture in New York City. He met with mayors, the second President Bush, and traveled to Bosnia and the Middle East.
"It enabled him to get out there and speak to schools and police officers about his life," Patti Ann said.
Patti Ann was pregnant with Conor when her husband was gravely injured. His son Conor became an NYPD Captain.
"Many years from now, we will all be gone, yet the name, story and life's work of Detective Stephen McDonald will live on in this building," Conor said.
The ceremony was especially poignant as July 16 is the day Detective McDonald entered the academy in 1984.
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