ATLANTA — An Atlanta police sergeant who was shot in the line of duty says he has never thought about retiring from law enforcement.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden shares how he’s using his story of survival and a lifelong friendship to help inspire young children to follow in his footsteps.
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It’s been nearly three decades, but Atlanta Police Sgt. Mikhail Brookshire says he can still remember the first time he came face to face with a police officer.
“I walked into a gym in a middle school in Nashville, Tennesee and I saw a police officer and I couldn’t stop staring at him. I don’t even know why I was staring at him,” Brookshire explained.
That police officer is now metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake, but at the time, he was an up-and-coming member of the city’s narcotics unit.
He also volunteered with the police athletic league, a nonprofit organization that uses sports to create a positive interaction between cops and children.
From coaching him in basketball to helping him with his homework, the 33-year-old says the two quickly developed a strong bond.
“Having that male figure in my life, and then seeing what he did made me think, you know, I want to make that difference in someone else’s life,” Brookshire said.
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By the time he reached high school, the Tennessee native had given up his hoop dreams and made the decision that he wanted to be a cop.
Brookshire eventually joined APD in 2013. But he could’ve lost his life in 2020 While he was responding to reports of an active shooter near Piedmont Park.
Body camera video captured the moments before police say the armed suspect Brookshire in the head and another officer in the foot
“I was grazed in the head with a bullet. The fortunate part of that was it didn’t pierce my skull,” Brookshire explained.
APD awarded him the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions and he returned to the police force.
Now, four years later, his hard work is already paying off.
Last month APD promoted the 12-year veteran to sergeant. A momentous moment for him and his mentor, Police Chief John Drake who had the honor of pinning his new badge.
“I’m so proud of you. Anything I can do to help you along your journey, you know I’m right here for you, so God bless you. I love you man,” Drake said.
“I want 20 years from now someone else to be standing here telling the same story but about me and how I made a difference in their life,” Brookshire said.
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