ARNOLD, Missouri -- Wounded Officer Ryan O’Connor underwent another surgery in an attempt to “save his life,” according to the Arnold police Facebook page.
About 1 p.m. Thursday, the department posted a short update about the 44-year-old’s condition, saying, “We are praying and would like for you to do so as well.”
About 6:30 p.m., the department posted that O’Connor was out of surgery and remained in critical condition.
The officer’s family and loved ones were with him, the later post said.
On Wednesday, the department had written: “At this point, the medical staff has informed his family that Officer O’Connor has a potentially long and arduous road to recovery, and his condition could change by the hour.”
O’Connor has been with the Arnold Police Department for three years out of a law enforcement career spanning 20 years. He is a married father of four boys, ages 4, 6, 11 and 17.
He was shot by Chad Klahs, 29, of Arnold, on Tuesday afternoon while O’Connor was driving Klahs to police headquarters to be booked on a variety of charges, including a home burglary.
Officers seized a 9 mm handgun from Klahs, but he hid a .40-caliber handgun from them and shot O’Connor before fatally shooting himself inside O’Connor’s police SUV, all while handcuffed. The shooting was on the parking lot of police headquarters, just yards from the sally port where O’Connor was heading with Klahs.
O’Connor underwent surgery at St. Anthony’s Medical Center shortly after he was shot Tuesday, and was listed in critical but stable condition after the procedure.
Arnold police said O’Connor’s family has approved three ways to send donations: a GoFundMe page, in person at Fortune Bank in Arnold and to BackStoppers Inc., made in O’Connor’s name.
“The Arnold Police Department, along with Officer O’Connor’s family, are awed and humbled by the outpouring of kindness and support we have received over the last 24 hours,” according to the Facebook page. “We lack the words to properly render our gratitude to each and every one of you, and our thanks are beyond measure.”
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