Phoenix officer who was shot multiple times returns home after months of rehab

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Moldovan, who was shot 8 times in December, including once in the head, has returned home after months of recovering at a rehabilitation facility. He was shot multiple times while investigating a suspicious person on Dec. 14.

Moldovan was flown into Deer Valley Airport around noon and taken to his home by an ambulance. Aerials from Arizona’s Family News Chopper showed hundreds of people and officers lined up along 7th Avenue just south of Deer Valley Road to show their support for Moldovan. Police say the Moldovan family appreciates all of the support they have received over the last several months.

“I was sad, made me cry. I’m surprised he made it, I’m glad he made it,” said Theresa Valentine. Valentine was among the crowd gathered to show her support.

“He’s a hero. he’s a champion, I mean what else can you say about him, he represents the blue very well,” said Gary Meredith, another supporter.

Back on Dec. 14, Moldovan and other officers responded to reports of vehicles, including a Black Dodge Charger speeding and doing donuts near 19th Avenue and Camelback Road just after 2 a.m. Officers showed up to find skid marks and smoke in the air, but they weren’t able to find any vehicles. A few moments later, police were able to find the Charger pulled into a parking lot near 15th Avenue and Camelback Road, where a man, identified as Essa Williams, was seen jumping the fence into the complex, leaving his vehicle. Court paperwork says that the car had a gun case inside. Williams ran off and was found hiding in a covered patio inside a nearby apartment complex. Williams was reportedly heard by officers at the scene speaking to someone on the phone, saying that he “was going to jail.” An officer asked Williams if he had any weapons, and he said no. Police say Williams then pulled a gun from his waist and shot Moldovan multiple times. Williams was taken into custody after a struggle with other officers and made comments asking officers to shoot him and that another person had shot Moldovan.

Moldovan had serious injuries and was given little chance to live at the time because of his injuries. However, Moldovan continued to show signs of improvement and was eventually moved to a rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery. In March, Moldovan was able to squeeze and lift his hand, pick up weighted bean bags, throw a ball across the hallway, and ride a stationary bike. His wife wrote on Instagram that that was his second time on that stationary bike. The first time he did it, he rode 5 minutes with his left leg doing 100% of the work. She wrote that he rode it for 14 and a half minutes the second time, and 5% of the work was done on his right leg too, which once had little to no movement. In the Instagram post, his wife wrote that his right side was affected most.

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