Chicago OEMC Honors Keith Thorton, Dispatcher On Duty During Shooting Of CPD Officers Ella French, Carlos Yanez, Jr.

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man who was the voice of calm when Chicago officers Ella French and Carlos Yanez, Jr. were shot, received an honor on Monday.

Keith Thornton, Jr.  is a 911 dispatcher with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC.) He did everything he could to manage the situation remotely. Some of the special guests in attendance included Carlos Yanez, Jr. who's still recovering from the shooting, his wife and parents along with Elizabeth French, Ella's mother.

OEMC normally honors employees in April, but the agency didn't want to wait until 2022 to recognize Thornton and employees who responded to another critical incident.