One Of Five Aurora Police Officers Wounded In Mass Shooting Retires From Force

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Aurora Police Officer James Zegar, one of five officers wounded in a mass shooting at the Henry Pratt manufacturing plant last year, has retired after more than 26 years on the force.

Zegar was one of four retired officers honored by the Aurora Police Department on Friday.

He had been an Aurora police officer since Sept. 27, 1993.

Zegar and four other officers were wounded when they responded to a mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Company plant in Aurora on Feb. 15, 2019.

Martin shot and killed five co-workers and wounded six others after finding out he was being fired. Police killed Martin in a shootout.

Zegar was shot in the neck during the confrontation, and even after he was wounded, wanted to go back into the plant to find Martin.

"He believed he only had moments to live, so he insisted on going back in the building to find the shooter," Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said in a Facebook post about Zegar's retirement.

Zegar returned to duty shortly after the Pratt shooting.

Two other officers wounded in the shooting – Officer John Cebulski and Officer Marco Gomez – remain on restricted duty as they continue recovering.

Two others – Officer Rey Rivera and Officer Adam Miller – returned to full duty in November. Miller was shot in the face, and Rivera was shot in the leg.

In April, all five officers received the department's highest honor, the Blue Star Award, for their acts of bravery during the shooting.