As Det. Steven McDonald's son is promoted to NYPD deputy inspector, "I know he's looking down and smiling"

The son of a fallen NYPD hero was promoted Friday in an emotional ceremony. 

Conor McDonald was promoted to NYPD deputy inspector. He's the son of NYPD Det. Steven McDonald, who was shot while on the job in Central Park 40 years ago this month. The shooting left Steven McDonald paralyzed from the neck down. His wife Patti was three months pregnant with Conor at the time. 

"To see his son now become a deputy inspector is something. I know he's looking down and smiling and very proud of Conor," Patti McDonald said. 

At Conor's baptism just months after he was shot, Steven told the press he forgave the teenager who pulled the trigger. He spent the following decades as somewhat of an ambassador for the NYPD, traveling around the world to speak of compassion and forgiveness. He died in 2017 of complications from his injuries. 

"Watching my dad as a kid and teenager, my dad was never scared," Conor McDonald said Friday. "I want my kids to be brave like their grandfather, and to respect and love everyone."

The NYPD renamed its academy after McDonald earlier this month. 

"We made that decision because Steven's life offers an enduring example of what service can become," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. 

"I believe a profession like this is a calling to serve and protect citizens of New York City and I saw it, as a religious guy, I saw it as a sign from God, and it's the best choice I did, saying yes in joining the academy," Steven McDonald said.   

For the past four decades, July was always a somber month for the McDonalds, a reminder of the moment that changed their family's lives. But with this promotion, it now will mark the legacy Steven's family continues to carry. 

"So now July is something I'll look forward to celebrating with Conor," Patti McDonald said.