Two NYPD officers from Long Island who were shot in Queens earlier this week headed home Thursday, receiving a hero's welcome on their way out.
Just in time for the holiday, Officer Christopher Wells’ father, Richard, is relieved that his son is back home.
“This is the best Thanksgiving that we've ever had," says Richard Wells.
Christopher and his partner Joseph Murphy left the hospital less than 48 hours after they were both shot when police say they were ambushed by 41-year-old Rondell Goppy.
Wells and Murphy, who are domestic violence officers, had just escorted a 41-year-old woman home Tuesday afternoon after she filed a domestic complaint at the 105th Precinct in Queens Village. They were at the woman’s home for six minutes when police say Goppy entered and opened fire on them.
Police say they returned fire, killing the shooter, but not before being hit themselves. Wells was hit in the leg, and Murphy was hit in the hands. Both required surgeries.
Wells’ wife Leslie walked out of Jamaica Hospital with her husband, the father of two young sons.Leslie says she remembers getting the call every officer's spouse fears.
“I just had tunnel vision … just to get there and just to see him," says Leslie Wells. "They told us that he would be OK, so I set my sights on the recovery process.”
Leslie Wells says Christopher was shot on his second day back at work after he was out for the birth of his newborn son born in October.
Wells' family says the recovery process could take about six months, and they expect the 36-year-old and six-year veteran of the NYPD to make a full recovery.
“I’m just excited to have him close by, where he can see his 3-year-old and his baby," says Leslie Wells. "I think that will help him heal too.”