Officer shot in line of duty leads Police Fuzz Run

COVINGTON, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - One year after being shot in the line of duty, a Covington police officer is leading a pack of runners in the department's annual Fuzz Run.

It's been a long road of recovery for Covington police officer Matt Cooper. 

On September 3, police said Cooper responded to a shoplifting call at the local Walmart, and when a suspect ran away, Cooper went after him and was shot in the head. Cooper was transported to the hospital and later transferred to the Shepherd Center for intensive care and therapy. 

A year later, Cooper says he feels great and is pumped for the weekend's run.

"l'm in a much better place than I was last year," he said. "I was in the hospital for 107 days."

During his three and a half months of recovery, the community rallied around Cooper and his family with prayers and fundraisers.

The support never let up.

"I'm so blessed to be part of Covington," he said. "Every day I'm floored by the support."

Cooper has been working with a trainer, getting stronger every day.

At last year's Fuzz Run, police officers from across the state joined thousands of runners to support Officer Cooper.

His wife Kristin sent a message to all of them from the hospital room.

"I want to thank everyone for coming out to the Fuzz Run to support him," she said.

This time, Matt and Kristen Cooper will be at the race, running one mile together.

"Eventually I'll get to run the whole thing," he said. "But I gotta play it safe."