Cullen Stafford, an officer in the Birmingham Police Department, hopes to make a return to the force in 2021 after being shot multiple times in 2019 while responding to a robbery.

Stafford’s updated recovery and initial shooting were both first reported by WBRC.

The 36-year-old officer was gifted a t-shirt, signed by dozens of his compatriots at the Birmingham Police Department, on Thursday that urged him to “Stay in the Fight.”

WBRC photos show Stafford still using an aid to walk as he is greeted by friends and fellow officers.

According to WBRC’s reporting, on the date of the incident, Cullen was shot multiple times, including once in the face. He was treated for his injuries at UAB hospital.

Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith, along with Allen Treadaway, Darnell Davenport and Scott Praytor — three top lieutenants on Birmingham’s police force — attended the ceremony on Wednesday when Stafford received the shirt.

Stafford is an Alabama native, who went to Homewood high school and graduated from the University of Alabama.

He had been a policeman for nine years before he was shot by the armed robber he was trying to detain.

Birmingham police officers, on the night of the shooting, returned fire against the suspect who had shot Stafford. The suspect, Roderick Wilson, was killed by the volley of shots.

At the ceremony on Wednesday, Stafford said his recovery is proceeding apace and he hopes to come back to work next year.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95