A deputy in Clay County, Missouri has spent much of his free time on a project honoring a colleague.
Deputy Craig Greco spent nearly 50 hours working in his garage painting a mural on the hood of a cruiser that was shot by a suspect, according to WDAF-TV.
"I really did this to honor and say thank you and commend Deputy Owens for his courageous acts and bravery during the incident," Greco said "I wanted to paint something that really represented the triumph of good over evil and what better way to do that then representing it with the thin blue line and the Saint Michael arch angel protecting police."
Deputy Owens encountered a suspect who fled in his vehicle and then on foot when the deputy attempted to arrest him. During the pursuit, the suspect opened fire, striking the deputy's patrol car.
The suspect was taken into custody and no one was injured in the incident.
"I want to thank Deputy Owens for his courageous efforts and bravery and professionalism on the job. This is all about him," Greco said.
The bullet hole can be seen on the hood next to the inscription that reads: "There is no nice way to arrest a potentially dangerous, combative suspect. The police are our bodyguards, our hired fists, batons and guns. We pay them to do the dirty work of protecting us. The work we’re too afraid, too unskilled, or too civilized to do ourselves. We expect them to keep the bad guys out of our businesses, out of our cars, out of our houses, and out of our faces. We just don’t want to see how it’s done.’ -Charles H. Webb, Ph.D."
