Two Orlando police officers who were nearly killed in the line of duty are determined to make it back out on patrol.
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For the first time, WFTV is hearing just how seriously they were injured when they were shot multiple times during a traffic stop in the middle of downtown Orlando last August.
The officers are still not ready to talk, but the police chief agreed to sit down with WFTV to share how horrific the night was, their injuries and their physical recovery.
WFTV was preparing to head out on patrol with the chief and police officers with the downtown TAC unit.
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Thirteen months later, the officers are still going through extensive physical and mental recovery.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said that seeing the officers in the emergency room was chaotic.
“I could see the officer behind them, you know, cutting off his clothes, hooking up to all sorts of tubes and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “It looked, you know, a lot of blood. It was just almost horrifying.”