MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher McCray sat down for his first interview with anchor Shannon Sims four months after surviving an ambush that killed his partner, Officer Kendall Corder.
The goal was simple: go home at the end of the shift.
"We just want to go home at the end of the day. That's literally it," McCray said. "That night, it was a long night."
The two officers were responding to a report of a subject with a gun near 25th and Garfield streets. Surveillance footage captured them walking down Garfield Street. Seconds later, gunfire erupted.
Officer McCray took bullets to his calf and foot. Another grazed his neck, narrowly missing his spine. He spent days in the hospital before being released.
Officer Corder was shot three times. He died at the hospital the day after Officer McCray went home.
"Even when I'm thinking about that night or thinking about Kendall, I know he's watching over me," McCray said. "I know he wouldn't want me to be sad. I hear his voice all the time: 'Bro, just do it.'"
The officers met at the police academy but became close at District 2. Officer McCray says their friendship turned into a brotherhood. He carries a permanent tribute to his partner — Corder's badge number and initials inked on his wrist.
"It's probably one of my favorite ones," he said.
The community response in the aftermath was overwhelming, McCray said. Cards and donations poured into District 2.
"Knowing that we were going through something big at the time — that was big," he said.
Watch: Mental wellness expert shares insight on supporting officers and their caregivers through job-related trauma
On difficult days, McCray leans on his wife and mother.
"My wife keeps me busy," he said.
He also credits his District 2 family, who've been supportive throughout the experience. Officer McCray joined the police force to make a difference.
The job feels most rewarding, he said, when he can help people at their lowest point with encouragement and support.
He recalls one of those calls: "Three years ago, I got sent to a suicidal subject. My partner at the time and I got to the house, and the husband tells us, 'My wife just locked herself in the bathroom. She went in there with a kitchen knife. I can't unlock it. I can't get her to come out of the house.' I get to the door, see that I'm able to shimmy it, unlock it with a knife, and get the door to unlock. She's fully clothed in the bathtub, water full all the way to the top, and has a big kitchen knife in her hand. She had, like, a small little heater on the side of the tub, and I was able to get the knife out of her hand, get the radiator out, and take her to get her some help."
McCray said the healing process is a journey, but he looks forward to making a full recovery and returning to the force.
Watch: Officer Christopher McCray shares his story
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