A Sioux City Police officer who was shot in the head during an April 29 traffic stop is back on the job. Kevin McCormick returned to his patrol duty Sunday on Sioux City’s west side.
“It went great actually,” McCormick said Monday. “I was initially a little apprehensive, but not necessarily due to my last experience while working. I was more apprehensive simply because I had not worked in a while and I didn’t feel as though I had my ducks in a row.”
Investigators have said a local gang member, 22-year-old Jamal Dean, fired eight shots at McCormick’s vehicle shortly after the rookie cop pulled a car over for a seatbelt violation. Nearly two weeks later, as McCormick returned to duty, he was hoping for a routine day of patrol.
It was anything but routine. “It quickly started off with a pursuit that ended in three individuals bailing from the vehicle. Fortunately, we were able to apprehend them very quickly,” McCormick said.
“My shift ended with an individual who got stabbed in the chest.” The 35-year-old McCormick started his shift on Sunday by driving to the alley where he was shot on April 29.
“I went there with the intention of testing how well my memory served me in stressful situations,” McCormick said. “Often times, we talk about in stressful situations how we get tunnel vision or we don’t see objects and the things around us. I had a fairly clear image of the geographical layout of the area, especially the alleyway, but I wanted to go back and compare what that memory was.”
Jamal Dean, the suspect in the shooting, was arrested in Texas last week and brought back to Iowa. He’s charged with attempted murder.
By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City