DENVER — Denver police Officer Tony Lopez Jr., who was shot multiple times during a traffic stop last month, was promoted to sergeant with 12 other officers on Friday.
Lopez was able to get out of his wheelchair and walk across the stage on his own by using crutches.
“It means a ton. Just goes to show how strong a person he is. … Never when that day I got the call, I never would have expected to come this far let alone walk across the stage and pin the badge on him,” Lopez’s wife Kristen Lopez said.
“I’m so proud of him he tested very high. I can’t say enough great things about him except this is in his blood and what he was born to do. We are very extremely proud and thankful he is here.”
Lopez passed the sergeant’s test in September. He now has physical therapy three times a week. The timetable for his return to work hasn’t been set yet.