OBITUARY

NYPD Det. Steven McDonald March 1, 1957 – Jan. 10, 2017

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NYPD Det. Steven McDonald, a Malverne resident who became known nationwide for his messages of forgiveness and peace after being shot in Central Park in 1986, died at North Shore University Hospital on Jan. 10. He was 59.

His death came four days after he suffered a heart attack at his home. A quadriplegic since the shooting, McDonald had been breathing with the help of a respirator for the past 30 years. He leaves behind his wife, Malverne Mayor Patricia Ann Norris-McDonald, his son, NYPD Sgt. Conor McDonald, and his father, Donald, a retired NYPD detective.

McDonald was born in Queens Village in 1957, and his family moved to Rockville Centre seven years later. He was one of eight children, and a third-generation New York City police officer. His grandfather died in the line of duty, he told the Herald in 2016. Twelve members of his family have been part of the New York City Police Department. McDonald was a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman for four years before he joined the NYPD in July 1984.

He married Patti Ann Norris in November 1985, and the couple lived in Manhattan. Only eight months later, McDonald was shot in Central Park while investigating a bicycle theft. Fifteen-year-old Shavod Jones shot him three times, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

McDonald, a Catholic, publicly forgave Jones several months after the shooting, although the two never met after the incident. Jones was killed in a motorcycle accident three days after being released from prison in 1995, having served nine years of a 10-year sentence.

Soon after the shooting, McDonald was befriended by the New York City Fire Department’s chaplain, the Rev. Mychal Judge, who helped him embrace spirituality and forgiveness. McDonald began speaking to community groups, schools and other organizations about the power of God and compassion, and did so until his death.

McDonald traveled the world with Judge, speaking about the power of forgiveness in places such as Northern Ireland, which he visited in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He also traveled with Judge to numerous areas considered holy by the Catholic Church, including Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France; and Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“No one could have predicted that Steven would touch so many people, in New York and around the world,” said New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill. “Like so many cops, Steven joined the NYPD to make a difference in people’s lives. And he accomplished that every day.”

A year after Judge was killed during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, McDonald created an annual walk in his memory. The walk, which starts at St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 32nd Street and ends at the World Trade Center, retraces the route Judge took on 9/11.

In 1989, McDonald wrote “The Steven McDonald Story” with his wife and writer E.J. Kahn III. He also wrote the foreword to the book “Why Forgive?” by friend and author Johann Christoph Arnold in 2010.

Despite being paralyzed, McDonald remained employed by the NYPD, offering support for wounded officers and appearing from time to time during roll calls.

A funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan last Friday. McDonald was interred at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury.