Suffolk County police officer leaves hospital after nearly killed in stabbing
MEDFORD, Long Island (WABC) -- A Suffolk County police officer who nearly died in a recent stabbing incident was released from the hospital Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of Suffolk County Police officers lined the hospital exit Friday morning to greet their fellow officer who was wounded when a man plunged a knife into his neck.
Officer Raymond Stock, 26, emerged from Stony Brook Medical Center on Friday and was pushed by fellow Officer Brendon Gallagher, 28, who was also stabbed in the same attack and released from the hospital last week.
Stock's surgeon credited EMTs with saving the 26-year-old's life as well as the officer's own training and personal will to survive.
Stock has less than one year on the job and doctors say he survived his injuries purely by luck.
"The knife went through his vest, through his notebook, through his shirt, through his skin, through his muscle and right into the rib right over his heart," said Dr. James Vosswinkel.
Stock was fortunate the hunting knife missed his femoral artery, but it plunged through his neck and into his chest, paralyzing one of his vocal chords.
"Despite all the blood he lost at the scene, his fortitude, he came here alive," Vosswinkel said.
Stock, who is due to become a father soon, will continue his recovery at home.
The officers were responding to an apartment on Dec. 28 where suspect Enrique Lopez was acting violently toward his roommate and threatening him with a fire extinguisher, police said.
When police arrived at the scene on Birchwood Road, 56-year-old Lopez pulled out a knife and stabbed both of the officers.
Officials say at least one of the officers was able to fire their weapon at Lopez during the incident. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect spent two years in jail for a 2011 arrest for assaulting an officer, officials said.
Both injured officers are Army veterans who served in Afghanistan.
"These officers are absolute heroes, angels in blue," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
A third officer who also responded to the scene was also taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. He has since been released, officials said.
ALSO READ | Woman's solar-powered lanterns bring light to Ukraine facing blackouts from Russian attacks
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
