Community Rallying Around Park Forest Police Officer Wounded In Line Of Duty
(CBS) --Park Forest police officers are calling on for one of their own after one of their officers was shot in the line of duty over the weekend.
The south suburban community wants to send a message of hope for the rookie officer and are holding a support service at St. Ireneaus Church.
Police say there has not been much change in the condition of Officer Tim Jones.
"He still continues to fight for his life. We're taking it hour by hour and day by day at this point in time," said Park Forest Deputy Police Chief Christopher Mannino. "The best way I can sum up Officer Jones is, if I can make a mold of a brand-new police officer and create a police officer out of that mold, I would have, literally, the best police department."
Mannino calls Jones the "ideal new cop."
Officer Jones was critically wounded in a gunfight Saturday that killed a suspect.
Mannino says that since the shooting, people in Park Forest have been wearing blue ribbons to show their support for Jones.
Park Forest Village Trustee JeRome Brown was among those attending the service Monday and said it was a "horrible situation" to happen to a young officer.
"It was a dream to be a police officer and he also had mentioned to his father he wants to one day become chief of police," said Brown said.
Officer Jones's father is the police chief in Country Club Hills.