Oct 1, 2008 11:36 pm US/Eastern
Officer Bowes Throws First Pitch At Phillies Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Officer Richard Bowes, took to the field Wednesday throwing out the first pitch in game one of the Phillies playoff series. Bowes was wounded in the line of duty on September 23, 2008.
CBS
A true hero took to the field Wednesday throwing out the first pitch in game one of the Phillies playoff series. Highway Patrol Officer Richard Bowes, wounded in the line of duty eight days ago in a shooting that left a fellow officer dead, approached the pitchers mound to a cheering crowd.
With his wife, son and daughter by his side, Officer Bowes threw the baseball directly over the plate and the packed stadium roared in support of the officer, his fallen brother and all those who serve the city of Philadelphia.
Officer Bowes is recovering from a gunshot wound to the hip that left him walking with crutches.
Bowes returned fire and killed the suspect, who moments before had left Officer Patrick McDonald fatally wounded.
"The real hero in this is Pat McDonald and I just want everyone to continue praying for Pat and his family so that they can get through this in their time of need," said Bowes, who spoke publicly before the game, for the first time since the shooting.
"I just want to thank everyone out there for all of their thoughts and prayers," said Officer Bowes.
Bowes admitted before he threw out the pitch that although he had great faith in the Phillies, he wasn't totally confident about his pitching.
"Believe it or not, I played pitcher so it is a lot of pressure on me today," said a smiling Bowes, referencing his days in high school when he played for Northeast Catholic High School.
After throwing a perfect strike, Bowes was greeted by Phillies great Mitch Williams who presented him with a souvenir jersey.
Bowes' message to the public: "Don't ever give up. You have to keep plugging away."
"Every guy in my unit, everybody in Highway Patrol would have done the same exact thing I did. I was just my turn that day."
Officer Bowes said once his wound heals, he plans to return to Highway Patrol and be back on the street saving lives.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Officer Pawlowski Killed In Line Of Duty
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