Wounded Fort Worth officer goes home for now

Police officer Matt Pearce waved and gave a thumbs-up Tuesday afternoon as nurse Sarah Dahle pushed his wheelchair from an entrance of John Peter Smith Hospital to a waiting SUV.

Around them swarmed cheering supporters including medical staff, mounted officers, motorcycle officers, firefighters, patrol officers, detectives and dozens of other friends and family members.

Pearce, 36, has been hospitalized since mid-March after being shot while pursuing fugitives. Dahle was one of many nurses in the intensive care unit who took care of Pearce.

On Tuesday, Pearce got to go home.

“Who would have thought” that Pearce would be out of the hospital in eight weeks, Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said. “He’s the strongest man I know.”

Pearce and his wife, Laura, and other relatives were chauffeured home in an SUV donated by a local auto dealer and driven by a Fort Worth police sergeant, a police spokesman said.

They were escorted to the edge of the JPS campus by officers in the mounted patrol. A motorcycle escort rode with the SUV to the Pearces’ residence.

Pearce was shot multiple times March 15 after a police chase for a wanted man and his son ended in a wooded area in far west Fort Worth. Ed R. McIver, 42, was killed by police after Pearce was shot.

His son, Ed Russel McIver Jr., now 21, is in the Tarrant County Jail facing charges including attempted capital murder with bail set at more than $2 million.

Pearce had been in John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and Texas Rehabilitation Hospital since then.

“We want to thank the community for caring so much for Matt and his family,” Mayor Betsy Price said before Pearce appeared. “It has meant a lot.”

Contributions have poured in for the Pearce family. At a presentation in mid-April, Laura Pearce received a check for $40,701.31 from a fundraiser at 20 Chick-fil-A restaurants. A second check was from the Mansfield Police Officers Association and Chick-fil-A, which raised $113,171.76.

In addition, a GoFundMe page raised $87,472 for his family.

Police officials have said Pearce will spend some time at home before going to Houston for further treatment.

The officer and his wife declined to speak to reporters. A Fort Worth police spokesman read a written statement.

“We still have a long road ahead,” officer Anthony White said. “We appreciate your continued support and prayers for all of us.”

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Wounded Fort Worth officer goes home for now."