Support Mounts For Off-Duty Chicago Cop Paralyzed In Beverly Shooting

CHICAGO — Four days after Chicago off-duty police officer Danny Golden was shot while attempting to break up a fight outside a bar in the Beverly neighborhood, support continues to roll in for the young officer.

Golden was shot early Saturday morning outside of Sean’s Rhino Bar on 104th Street. Since then, more than $1 million has been raised as friends and strangers alike have rallied around Golden, who is paralyzed from the waist down.

Three men have been charged in the shooting and were ordered held without bond after appearing in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors said in the hearing that the three men joked about the shooting in a group text after the incident, which took place just after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Golden, who turned 32 on Monday, has a bullet lodged in one of his lungs and the bullet also severed his spinal cord, Golden’s aunt said on the GoFundMe, which has received nearly 8,000 donations as of Wednesday.

Golden, a 2009 graduate of St. Rita High School, has also received support from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who recorded a video that was posted Tuesday to the St. Rita social media channels on Tuesday night.

“What’s up Danny – so sorry to hear about what you’re going through,” Brady says in the 19-second video. “Just know that I’m thinking about you, appreciate all of your hard work and your commitment to service.

“I know you’ll get through it. it’s going to make you tougher, it’s going to make you stronger and we’re all pulling for you. Take care.”

In addition to St. Rita, the Palos Heights Police Department posted on its Facebook page asking for support for Golden. The post said that Golden — who is a Chicago Police Department gang unit officer and Army veteran – is the nephew of a Palos Heights police officer.

Golden joined the Chicago Police Department in 2016 and "has a long road ahead of him", according to CPD Police Superintendent David Brown.

“That situation just speaks to the occurrence of gun violence in our country,” Brown said Tuesday during a news conference. “Guns should not be used to settle arguments or disagreements. Chicago’s communities cannot and will not be held captive by senseless gun violence.”

In addition to the GoFundMe effort, The Tom Hopkins Foundation and Barraco’s Pizza in Evergreen Park have launched a T-shirt fundraiser to help to raise money for Golden’s family. The Tom Hopkins Foundation has pledged to match 100 percent of the proceeds raised through the sale of the shirt.

Alderman (19th Ward) Matt O'Shea has been in regular contact with Golden's family since the incident and said that they are committed to getting the young officer who has several brothers on the Chicago Fire Department through this ordeal. O'Shea said the support for Golden has been overwhelming.

"This is who our community is," O'Shea told Patch on Wednesday. "It's sad that we have to do this, but it certainly makes you proud to be a resident of this community to know that people step up and support families in need.

He added: "It has to help Danny and his family through this to know that so many people truly care. We saw the worst of society in the early morning of Saturday, but we've seen the very best of society in the days following."

A prayer service will be held for Golden at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at St. Rita’s Shrine Chapel, according to the school's social media post.

“All those who have known Dan are grieving after such a senseless, tragic event,” Golden’s aunt, Eileen Gorman wrote on the GoFundMe page. “We are asking the community to support Dan and his fiancé Casey to help with all the financial demands they will face in the coming years.”

O'Shea said that he has seen video footage of Golden engaged with children in the community playing basketball or skipping rope. His impact among the area's young people while working to cut down on gang violence makes Golden a true public servant who is "who you want on the Chicago Police Department," the alderman said.

While Golden faces a long, painful road to recovery, O'Shea believes that one day, he will return to his job serving the community in one way or another.

"He truly signed up for this job to make a positive difference, which is what makes this whole, terrible ordeal that much harder to swallow," O'Shea told Patch.

"But mark my words. He will return to the Chicago Police Department and will continue to serve and protect this community in some capacity."

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