Mount Vernon officer: Policing is a noble and necessary profession

Update on Mount Vernon Police Officer Mike McClaughry

Prior to being released from the hospital, Officer Mike McClaughry said that after being shot, he would still support his family members if they wanted to join the police force.

“Policing is a noble and necessary profession,” he said Tuesday morning.

By Tuesday afternoon, Officer McClaughry had visited with his fellow Mount Vernon police officers and was finally at his home. It was Valentines Day, also the same day as his 39th wedding anniversary.

He was accompanied Tuesday by family members wearing “McClaughry Strong” T-shirts. In front of the press, he thanked his wife and said he wants to improve his condition — he currently only can see light, dark and some colors.

“She’s really been a rock here,” he said. “She’s carried a load … I can’t say enough. She’s beautiful.”

“I want to see my daughter smile,” McClaughry said. “I want to see my grandchildren, but it’s in God’s hands right now.”

Original story

The daughter of Officer McClaughry admits her father has some major challenges to overcome.

McClaughry, a beloved member of the Mount Vernon community who started as a police officer there in 1985, can detect changes in light but is otherwise blind. He also has memory loss.

“When you suffer major head trauma, you tend to have memory loss and memory retention issues,” McClaughry’s daughter, April, told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don. Paired with not being able to see makes that memory loss worse, she says.

The 61-year-old Mount Vernon officer was in critical condition after being shot in the back of the head in December. He was flown to Harborview Medical Center where he had surgery.

Now, after weeks of recovery, the officer may be blind and have memory loss issues, but April says her father is “just like his old self.” He’s joking around and he has a positive attitude, she says.

On Tuesday, McClaughry is expected to return home. What will already be a special homecoming will be even more special for another reason: it is McClaughry’s 39th wedding anniversary.

Listen to April’s conversation with Ron and Don

Suspects charged

Ernesto Rivas was charged with attempted first-degree murder for the shooting.

A 16-year-old was charged as an adult in connection with the shooting that brought McClaughry to the scene.

A 15-year-old pleaded guilty to charges connected to both shootings and sentenced to six months in a juvenile facility.

Ron and Don: One Seattle man’s journey to escape life on the streets

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