‘Blessed and Sore, But Mostly Blessed!’—School District Security Officer Leaves Hospital 2 Days After Being Shot in Head
UTICA, N.Y. September 13 2023 — The Utica City School District Superintendent and Utica Police Chief might call him a hero, but a school district security officer uses another word to describe himself as he walks out of St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
It’s just two days after being shot in the head while breaking up a fight at Proctor High School’s first home football game of the season Saturday afternoon.
“I’m definitely blessed. The sunshine feels a little brighter today. I just want to thank everybody that reached out to me and my family. I know today’s September 11th. It’s a monumental day. Going forward, I want to be a champion of this cause with the city, with the youth, and get our kids straight,” said Jeff Lynch, as he left the Utica hospital Monday afternoon.
Late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, after a bunch of kids didn’t meet the criteria to advance up to the metal detectors and into the stadium, a fight broke out.
Lynch tried to break it up.
At first, he thought maybe he was hit in the head with a pipe or some sort of heavy object.
His vision gave out and he fell to the ground.
Turns out, he was shot in the head, but the bullet didn’t penetrate his skull.
“I’m 51 years old, and I’ve heard for my whole life I’ve got a hard head, and finally I have something that actually proves that,” said Lynch, proving that his sense of humor survived the incident intact.
He has multiple stitches in his head and a chipped tooth from falling to the pavement.
From those who surrounded and comforted him in that moment in the Proctor High School parking lot, to those who took him from the school and treated him at the hospital, Lynch feels overwhelming gratitude.
“I’ve got to thank the paramedics. I’ve got to thank everybody, from the emergency department right up to the ICU here at St. Elizabeth’s. Everybody took wonderful care of me. Just a big thank you,” he said.
As for our struggling youth, drowning in hate, even the 16-year-old accused of shooting him—Lynch takes aim, but not with anger.
“I have no hatred,” he said.
“I hear a lot of the word love. And if I can get any message out to anybody, let’s love each other.”
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