Monday marked a special day for Covington police Officer Matt Cooper. Less than two years after he was shot in the line of duty, Cooper returned to work for the first time.
The police department shared the good news on its Facebook page.
Cooper was responding to a shoplifting call in Covington on Labor Day. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said three men were attempting to steal bandanas when officers responded to the scene.
Cooper fought for his life through several surgeries in the following months and spent time at the Shepherd Center.
One of the men shot Cooper in the head before he took off. The teen was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"There was probably about five or six days where it was kind of, we didn't really know," his wife Kristen told Channel 2 Action News in 2018. "Once we got past that, then you kind of wonder about what his quality of life will be. With Matt being a very physical person, I wanted him to have a good life still," she said.
In the days, months and years after the shooting, the community has rallied behind the Cooper family with #148Strong response.
The Covington Police Department hosts an annual Fuzz Run every September and the past two have been in Cooper’s honor. At the 2019 event, Cooper led the 1-mile run and 5K, where he crossed the finish line in a moving moment.