Police Sgt. Chris Pelton Released From Hospital After Being Shot In Line Of Duty

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - Dec. 2, 2019 was the night that changed Sgt. Chris Pelton's life forever. He responded to a call about a man with a gun who was trying to make contact with a person inside a home in Fort Lupton. As police arrived, the man opened fire. He shot Pelton in the face. Pelton was rushed to Swedish Hospital.

"When I was first waking up in I.C.U., there was a lot of pain. A lot of pressure. A lot of recovery there," Pelton said. "It was very, very hard in the beginning."

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Pelton survived the attack and less than one month later, he is headed home. Something he has dreamed about for 24 days.

"Since I realized I was going to make it and get out of the hospital," said Pelton.

He says it has been a challenging month. His rehabilitation is taking longer than he would like. He said, "Slow for me, but I've been told I recovered very quickly."

He still has a long road to recovery ahead, but going home gives him a little break. One he says he desperately needs.

"I need a lot more rest, and then visiting Craig here to continue my rehab," Pelton said.

He says he has received a ton of support from law enforcement and citizens all over the state during this recovery process.

"Cards, messages on the internet, messages to my police department," he said.

He is grateful for everyone who has reached out and now, as he thinks about his future, he wants to figure out a way to give the love he received back to Ft. Lupton.

"It's changed the way I'm going to build some of my local projects that I oversee at my agency," said Pelton.