BRIDGEPORT — After being shot while responding to an armed robbery in Back of the Yards, Officer Victoria Mendoza said she received well wishes from California, Miami and everywhere in between.
But it was the cards sent from Bridgeport-area day campers that proved particularly moving and helpful, she said. So Mendoza visited the kids Monday at Wilson Park, 1122 W. 32nd Pl., to thank them for their cards and answer their questions about her work.
"Sometimes you forget that people care about us out there," Mendoza said. "The kids ... they wanted to make sure you're OK and that they support you. It means a lot."
Mendoza and her partner responded to an armed robbery of a store in 4300 block of South Ashland Avenue on July 21, and found a group of men running from the store, police said. At least one of the robbers began firing at police as they exited their cars, striking Mendoza in her left knee.
"There were bad guys doing bad things in a store," Mendoza told the group of kids, aged 6 to 12. "They decided they wanted to get away."
Three men have been charged in the attack on the officers.
Officer Mendoza gives the PG-version of how she was shot to a group of day campers. pic.twitter.com/d9mIbVnrsO
— Joe Ward (@JayDubWard) July 31, 2017
Mendoza, who grew up in the Pilsen area and now serves as a Deering District officer, described the shooting in greater detail once the kids left the park district gym.
She said she realized she had been shot once she noticed blood coming from her leg. Fellow officers raced Mendoza to Mercy Hospital before she was transferred to Stroger Hospital, she said.
"With the adrenaline flowing, I didn't feel the pain," said Mendoza, an Army veteran. "When we hit our first Chicago speed bump [a pot hole] is when I felt the pain. I dropped a lot of really foul language, but in the back of my mind, I said, 'I'm OK.'"
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Ten days after the shooting, Mendoza used the help of a walker and her follow officers to visit the Wilson Park field house to thank the kids and also to receive one final card. She is facing 3-6 months of therapy before she can head back to work.
Mike Kwit, camp director at Wilson Park, smiled as Mendoza interacted with the kids. The city's theme for summer camp this year is "heroes." The campers toured the Deering District building the Monday after Mendoza was shot, and after learning about the incident, they went back to the park and made cards.
"They loved it," Kwit said of the visit from the officer. "It made us feel really good. We're happy she's ok and we're so proud of the work she does for the community."
Officer Victoria Mendoza smiles as she reads a card made by day campers at Wilson Park Field House, 1122 W. 32nd Pl. [DNAinfo/Joe Ward]
Mendoza gamely took questions from the kids ("what was the first bad guy you caught?") and winced when one brushed up against her bandaged leg.
Even on the day she was shot, Supt. Eddie Johnson told media that Mendoza was in "good spirits."
Mendoza, asked how she was able to maintain a positive attitude despite the attack, said she's always known the danger of her work and has been uplifted by her good prognosis and the support from the community.
"I don't come in thinking something like this is going to happen, but I come in knowing that there's the potential of any danger happening to us," she said. "Everybody's asking me ... are you considering a job change now? Absolutely not. This is my dream job."
