[kellyhound]

In the days since Conroe Police Sgt. James Kelemen Sr. was blasted in the face by a shotgun-wielding man, resulting in injuries that cost him his right eye, circumstances have improved far beyond his expectations.

Moments after being sprayed by the pellets Saturday, he doubted his survival. In the ambulance, he kept saying his career was over.

By the time he got settled at the hospital, he figured he and his wife would be there for months.

A surgeon removed Kelemen's eye on Monday. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday, visited the Conroe Police Department on Wednesday and reluctantly recounted his encounter with the gunman and talked about his recovery Thursday afternoon.

"I feel great. I'm glad I'm here, but I didn't want a big frenzy over the policeman with one eye," said Kelemen, 34. "I never lost consciousness. I remember talking to him.

I remember hearing the shot. I remember feeling the percussion. I remember feeling something on my face. I knew I was hit.

When I went to the ground, I could see all the blood coming from my head and it was a lot."

A gimme cap and mango-hued shirt covered his minor injuries and a sturdy plate shielded the gauze over his right eye socket.

The pellets also left scattered wounds across Kelemen's forehead, scalp and right shoulder.

He's scheduled to have the stitches removed from his right eyelid next week, and should have a prosthetic eye in place this spring.

And, he still has a job with the Conroe police, the chief's confidence and a community's support.

All of this for a guy who lay on the ground last weekend, drenched in his own blood, having what he expected to be his last conversation with his wife.

About 4 p.m. Saturday, dispatchers received a report of an armed man threatening an employee at a bakery in the 400 block of North Loop 336 East.

The man was later identified as James Richard Hill, 54. This was Kelemen's first Saturday working the 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift after swapping with a newly promoted patrol sergeant.

As the first officer on the scene, Kelemen spent a couple of minutes pleading with Hill to drop his weapon, according to video footage from his patrol car's dashboard camera.

"After being there for a couple of seconds, I knew it wasn't going to end well. The guy was just obviously crazy. You hear about 'suicide by cop' all the time, but it didn't take long to figure out that that was definitely in his plan," Kelemen recalled. "I was scared to death."

Didn't think he'd make it
The video footage shows Hill pointing a shotgun toward the cruiser and doing a sort of dance around a parked vehicle.

Kelemen said he never fired his weapon because, at roughly 20 yards away, he couldn't take a chance of hitting someone other than the gunman. Sirens can be heard in the distance.

In minutes, backup units arrived that Hill could see, as well as other officers working to set up a perimeter.

"I think he knew there was nowhere to go at that point," Kelemen said.

Then, Hill fired. Kelemen went down. Other officers returned fire and killed Hill.

While another officer tried to assure Kelemen that everything would be OK, the injured officer called his wife.

"I grabbed my phone and called her and said: 'Hey, baby, I've been shot. I love you. Tell the kids I love them.

I don't think I'm going to make it,' " Kelemen said, racing through the retelling. "Not that I didn't want to live, but there was just a lot of blood.

That scared me more than anything. I thought: 'There's no way I could get out of here losing that kind of blood.'"

With his wife, Stacy, by his side, he was flown by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, where doctors determined that his right eye could not be saved.

"It sucks knowing you're not going to have your eye, without a doubt. I cried. I'm not going to lie about that," Kelemen said.

"It was a lot easier when the guys were there and visitors and stuff like that, but when it was just me and my wife, it was tough.

It didn't take long for me to kind of get my sense of humor back. Just me being here means I can deal with the eye."

[TheCapn]

..they still missed a fair number of shots?
Damn..i could have got that shot easy. Jesus..still glad he survived. Dumbass for not shooting the guy as soon as he aimed the weapon at him.

[Faline]

He waited to long to shoot the guy. Should of given him a count down then shot.

[FuckThisPlanet]

damn that sucks. cops got it hard sometimes.

[keno1964]

Yeah buddy.. the minute that guy yelled "No!" to putting the gun down, (especially after so many requests/commands), I would've had to fire. Try me later if you must, but at least I'd be alive to be tried.

[Kyle416]

Seems like a real nice guy. Pretty heartbreaking to hear him say to the other officer to tell his wife and kids that he loves them. He thinks he may be dying, has been shot in the face, and that's the first thing he thinks of; his family.

[joethurr]

lucky cop!

[r0ch3z]

Originally Posted by Kelly ↗

He waited to long to shoot the guy. Should of given him a count down then shot.

Probably concerned for civilians injured in the crossfire! I agree though, a bit too long.

[Phobophile]

that took too long..

[Stereophonics]

Unfuckingreal. That is a good man. He could have justifiably filled this guy with bullets as soon as he saw he had a gun. Once the motherfucker aimed at him, the officer should have popped the bastard in the forehead.