Park Forest officer heads home 1 year after shooting

WHEATON, Ill. (WLS) -- A Park Forest police officer who was shot in the line of duty is heading home Friday one year after being shot in the head.

It's been a long time coming for Tim Jones and his family.

It was a wonderful send off for Officer Jones. He was surrounded by his doctors, family and Park Forest police officers.

He still has a long way to go for recovery. He's in a wheelchair and talking is difficult for him. But he is now on his way home after seven months at the Marianjoy rehabilitation hospital and months before that in intensive care.

The 25-year-old was shot in the head on March 19, 2016 while responding to a burglary. He had been on the police force less than a year.

His father, who is the police chief of Country Club Hills has been at his son's side since the day of the shooting providing updates to the community and the police chief.

"Thank God for the opportunity to be here, after such a devastating event 14 months ago, Jones' father said.

"Tim is up here fighting every day, it's a battle. Through this therapies. We've only gotten to come up here a couple times. The men and women of the police department cherish those moments," Park Forest Police Chief Pete Green said.

Jones' doctors and nurses at the hospital said he has drastically improved in the seven months he's been a patient there.

"When he first arrived we were using communication from blinking, I can tell you two days ago we had a celebration and that turned into a 20 minute speech," Kathryn Williamson, director of nursing at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, said.

She said he chose not to speak on Friday but he's able to communicate to people clearly. From this day forward he'll be living with his parents, continuing to undergo rigorous therapy.

His family said he still hopes one day to return to work as a police officer.

If you want to help Officer Jones in his recovery, there's a fundraiser happening next Saturday, June 2.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. you can head over to 349 Main Street where former Chicago Bulls player, Craig Hodges, is hosting a three-point shootout with a portion of the money raised going to Jones and his family.

Jones happens to be a big basketball fan.

When Jones was shot, he had been with the department for less than a year.