Detective Steven D. McDonald
Steven McDonald was a 29 year old New York City police officer assigned to anti-crime patrol in Central Park in the summer of 1986. He and his wife, Patti, had been married less than a year, and she was pregnant with their son, Conor, born the following January.
On July 12, 1986, Detective McDonald and his partner approached 15 year old Shavod Jones, who they wished to question about a series of bicycle thefts in the park. Detective McDonald noticed a bulge in the young man's sock, and when he bent forward to examine it, Jones shot him three times in the face. The bullets struck him in the throat and spine. Detective McDonald, a third generation New York City police officer and US Navy Hospital Corpsman, would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
"On some days, when I am not feeling very well, I can get angry," he later wrote. "But I have realized that anger is a wasted emotion, and that I have to remember why I became a police officer."
The victim of a senseless act of violence, Detective McDonald went on to live a life of service and forgiveness that inspired people throughout the world. He is the cofounder of Breaking the Cycle, an outreach organization devoted to combatting violence, bullying and racism in schools around the nation. He and his wife accepted Shavod Jones' apology when the young man called them from prison in 1988, saying "I forgive him and hope that he can find peace and purpose in his life."
His son Conor, who never got to toss a ball with his Dad, became a New York City police officer in 2010, and earned his detective's shield in 2015. Steven McDonald died on Janiary 10, 2017; at his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, he was mourned by thousands of civilians and fellow officers. The New York Daily News published the story of his funeral on its front page under the headline, "GOD'S COP." The inscription on his tombstone reads, "Born out of tragedy July 12 1986 came a life of service and forgiveness. Steven became a messenger of hope and goodwill to the community and City that he loved."
Take a walk on the lovely trails of the Beals Pond State Forest, where you'll find eight winter-friendly caches to sooth your spirit and restore your faith in human nature. We hope you'll keep the feeling with you when you leave the woods to face the world again! Your journey should take about two hours, and is available to everyone in any season.