ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Friends and family of former Arnold Police Officer Ryan O’Connor, who survived a shooting in 2017 against all odds, are asking for prayers as he enters his seventh day in the COVID ICU.
“He’s very sick, nobody is able to visit him and there’s nothing for anybody to do except pray and wear a mask,” said Shannon Dandridge, a family friend. “This is real.”
Friends, family and the public are invited to pray the rosary for O’Connor’s recovery at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Assumption Church 4725 Mattis Rd. Masks are required.
The church will provide a live feed of the event on their Youtube page.
O’Connor was transporting a burglary suspect to the Arnold police station in December 2017 when the man shot O’Connor in the head before fatally shooting himself while handcuffed in the back of O’Connor’s police SUV.
The shooting happened just yards from the police sally port where O’Connor was heading with the suspect.
The Gary Sinise Foundation modified O’Connor’s home to meet his new special needs using Smart technology.
Ryan O’Connor is a married father of four boys. His father is former Maryland Heights Police Chief Tom O’Connor. Ryan O’Connor had been with Arnold for about three years. He had previously worked for St. Louis County and Ferguson police.
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