The New York Police Department plans to rename its police academy after Detective Steven McDonald – the hero police officer who was paralyzed in a Central Park shooting in 1986.

McDonald, of Malverne on Long Island, died in 2017. He famously forgave his shooter, Shavod Jones, who spent nine years in prison.

Afterward, McDonald became an international advocate for peace.

"My father forgave that teen and then traveled spreading his message," said Connor McDonald, also an NYPD officer, after his father’s death. "My father really suffered and was in tremendous pain, but he believed that was his purpose God intended."

The academy in College Point, Queens is expected to be renamed on July 16 – marking 42 years since McDonald joined the force.