NYPD Det. Steven McDonald brought his message of forgiveness to Warwick

WARWICK — New York City Det. Steven McDonald, 59, well-known for forgiving a teenage gunman who left him a quadriplegic in 1986, suffered a massive heart attack and died on Jan. 10.
Last Friday, Jan. 12, mourners crowded St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City for a funeral Mass celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and attended by McDonald's family, friends, police officers and numerous officials.
McDonald was a role model at the New York Police Department and internationally famous for his message of peace and forgiveness as well as a source of support for other police officers wounded while on duty.
He was on patrol on July 12, 1986, when he questioned Shavod Jones, 15, and two other teenagers in Central Park. As he attempted to frisk them, Jones shot McDonald three times, with one bullet piercing the officer's spinal column and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.
Finding 'peace and purpose'Shortly afterwards, McDonald, while still in recovery, made a statement about Jones through his wife Patty Ann that became his mission in life:
"I forgive him and hope he can find peace and purpose in his life."
On several occasions McDonald brought his message of forgiveness to Warwick, where his sister Dolores Murphy, one of the eight children born to David and Anita McDonald, lives with her husband, Kevin, and their three children.
McDonald first spoke at Warwick Valley High School and later, in 2013 and 2015, at The Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr.
Life changes in an instantEveryone, including the youngsters in his audience, always sat spellbound as McDonald, speaking from his wheelchair, told them how happy he was on that fateful day in 1986 as he drove to the job he loved.
He and his wife Patti Ann, only eight months into their marriage, were expecting their first child. That child, Conor McDonald, is now a New York City police officer.
All was right with his life but at approximately 4:15 p.m. everything would change forever.
But McDonald moved on and focused his life on speaking, often to young people, about controlling violence and forgiveness and how his own strong faith had helped him understand that he was fulfilling God's plan.
He said he was convinced the events immediately following the shooting, that led to his survival, were heavenly inspired.
And he believed, he said, that he lived to be an instrument of peace and urged those on his last visit, who were preparing for Confirmation, turn to their faith and find a purpose in their lives.
"As human beings," he said that evening, "we need forgiveness, whether we are giving it or asking for it."
- Roger Gavan