Hundreds Of Police Escort Injured Officer To Airport

ST. LOUIS, MO — Hundreds of police and first responder vehicles escorted injured Arnold police officer Ryan O'Connor to Spirit of St. Louis Airport along Interstate 64 this morning. O'Connor left St. Louis University Hospital around 10 a.m. and is headed to Colorado for advanced treatment.

O'Connor was shot in Arnold, Mo., a city south of St. Louis, Dec. 5 and rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. His shooter, Chad L. Klahs, 29, was handcuffed in the back of O'Connor's patrol vehicle when he somehow managed to obtain a hidden gun. He shot himself in the head after shooting the officer. Jefferson County Sheriff's Captain Gary Higginbotham said officers confiscated a gun from Klahs when he was arrested, but he apparently had another one.

O'Connor has served with the Arnold Police Department for more than two years and has been a law enforcement officer for two decades, having previously served with the St. Louis County Police Department. He is married and has four children.

After the shooting, O'Connor underwent a five-hour, live-saving surgery and has had several more surgeries since. He was initially placed in a medically-induced coma.

"Ryan has made some small but significant improvements," O'Connor's family wrote in a post shared by the Arnold Police Department's Facebook page Thursday. "He is breathing on his own and the ventilator has been removed. He also gave us a great surprise by opening his pretty blue eyes. We are so pleased with the progress he has made in the past week and welcome and appreciate your continued thoughts, prayers and support."

Photo via Arnold Police Department