Tarmac Online

NYPD Police Academy to be Renamed for Detective Steven McDonald 

By Blake Lou Weaver ’27 

On July 16, 1984, Steven McDonald walked through the doors of the NYPD Police Academy, never knowing that exactly 42 years later it would be named after him.¹

In the summer of 1986, McDonald seemingly had it all. He had just been married, and was moving into a new apartment with his wife, Patti Ann, who was expecting. Everything was going well, until one day, this all changed. On July 12, 1986, McDonald was patrolling Central Park, when he encountered three young boys attempting to steal a bicycle. 

“He stopped the boys because they were about to rob somebody, and he tried to talk to them. He wasn’t trying to be a bruiser. He wanted to talk to them, and wanted to see what was going on. He wanted to stop a crime, but also to see how he could help them,” said Conor McDonald ’05, Chaminade class of 2005, Steven’s son, and currently a Captain in the New York Police Department. 

After approaching the boys, fifteen year old Shavod Jones pulled out a gun and shot Steven McDonald three times. 

McDonald was rushed to Metropolitan Hospital in Harlem. After extensive evaluation, and doing all they believed they could do, the hospital staff reached out to McDonald’s family to let them know it was time to say goodbye. They were certain he wasn’t going to make it through the night. 

Brian Mulheren, a police detective assigned to City Hall, decided that this wasn’t good enough. They needed a second opinion. The police shut down the east side of Manhattan to transport McDonald downtown to Bellevue Hospital. Bellevue was much better equipped to handle McDonald’s injuries, and they were able to save his life. 

It was there where McDonald began his recovery, but also his new life. Everything was different. As a result of his injuries, Steven was now quadriplegic, meaning he no longer had function of his limbs or torso. He was also totally paralyzed from the neck down, and dependent on a ventilator in order to breathe. 

Being a devout Catholic, he took his faith and the teachings of Christ very seriously. Inspired by these teachings, less than a year after he was shot in Central Park, McDonald made a decision that would go on to define the rest of his life. Unable to speak at the time, Patti Ann served as his voice as she declared openly that Steven had forgiven Shavod Jones, the boy who had shot him and was responsible for his life changing injuries. Steven chose his own birthday, and his only son’s Baptism day, to publicly forgive Shavod–March 1, 1987. 

“The anger and hostility could have killed him, you know, if he let it consume him” Conor said. “He had a lot of time to pray while laying in that bed, trying to survive for my mother and I, and he decided to forgive that boy. But he didn’t just forgive him that one day. He forgave him every single day until he passed.” 

This act resonated in the hearts of all New Yorkers, but soon touched the hearts of so many others. McDonald became a world renowned “prophet of peace,” as he traveled to places like Bosnia and Northern Ireland to share his story and talk about forgiveness. He continued to work for the NYPD, and became a representation of the work and sacrifices of those who protect New York City. 

“My father believed that by the grace of God he stayed alive. There’s been a lot of officers killed on duty, especially around the time my dad was shot. There’s a lot of kids who never got to know their mom or their dad. He knew that he was fortunate to come home, when so many others never did. So my dad was a visual representation of their sacrifice to the city of New York. He made sure to live every day in their honor.” 

Conor believes that the story of Steven McDonald teaches law enforcement everywhere that, “even though as police officers you face a lot of darkness, and a lot of evil, you can’t let it consume you—you have to let love win.” 

This message will forever be showcased to new generations of NYPD officers, as they train at the new police academy, which will soon be named in honor of Det. Steven McDonald. 

Each year, Conor and Patti Ann hold two Masses in memory of Steven. The first is on July 12, in Central Park, near where Steven was shot in 1986. The other is on January 10, the day on which he passed. This year, a week after celebrating the January Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reached out to Conor, asking to meet with him and his mother. On Conor’s birthday, a few days later, Patti Ann came to visit Conor at work, and while she was there, Commissioner Tisch made them aware of her plans to rename the Police Academy in Steven’s honor. “We were very emotional. It’s an incredible honor,” Conor shared. 

For Conor, the greatest part of this honor is that his father’s story is now going to be passed on for generations to come. “Long after I’m gone, recruits are gonna walk into that building and they’re gonna know my father’s name and his story.” 

Asked what lesson he hopes recruits will learn from his father, Conor said, “ You can not allow hate and anger to destroy you, and let love and compassion lead the way, you can do a lot of great things and do a lot of good in the communities we serve. That is the most important part of my father’s message.” On July 16, 2026, the NYPD Police Academy will officially bear Steven McDonald’s name, reminding all who walk through those doors that even in the darkest of times, you have to let love win.

1. Detective Steven McDonald, as well as his son, Conor attended the police academy in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan. The new police academy which has been opened since 2014, and is located in College Point, Queens, will be renamed the Steven D. McDonald Police Academy, after the late detective. ↩︎