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Funeral for Park Forest Officer Tim Jones
Hundreds of police officers from across the Chicago area and the Midwest filling the gymnasium at Tinley Park High School today to celebrate the life of Park Forest Police officer Timothy M. Jones.
TINLEY PARK, Ill. - Hundreds of police officers from across the Chicago area and the Midwest filled the gymnasium at Tinley Park High School on Saturday to celebrate the life of Park Forest Police Officer Timothy M. Jones.
Officer Jones died earlier this month, nearly 10 years after he was shot in the head while arresting an armed robbery suspect. He was 34.
The backstory:
Jones was a rookie police officer when he was critically wounded while arresting an armed burglary suspect in March 2016. He was shot three times — in the head and neck — and narrowly survived.
Doctors initially did not think Jones would make it after suffering a traumatic brain injury, but defied the odds.
Through recovery, Chief Rzyski said Jones never stopped smiling. At the same time, the community never wavered in their support.
"Endless amount of support throughout these years, it's never stopped. It's year, after year, after year," Rzyski said. "We can't go a week without someone approaching one of our officers and asking, 'how's Tim?'"
In 2018, the street outside of the police department was designated as 'Honorary Officer Tim Jones Way.'
RELATED: Park Forest police detective Tim Jones shot in line of duty nearly 10 years ago dies at 34
Then in 2021, five years after the shooting, Jones earned the rank of detective, one of his lifelong dreams.
"The most important thing is, Tim didn't stop. Tim didn't stop, and most people would have stopped and if Tim wasn't so mentally and physically strong, he would not have survived. That's a fact; that's a fact. He's a medical anomaly," Rzyski said. "And to continue at such a pace and have that grit, that drive, that fight in him, those qualities — a lot of people may seek but don't truly have, and he had all of them."
Jones is a Tinley Park High School alum and played football at the University of Indianapolis. After college, he joined the force — becoming a recruit at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, where each year, the 'Timothy Jones Physical Fitness Award' is now given to a recruit.