By Douglas Perry
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — On Christmas Day, James Tylka shot his estranged wife Kate Armand outside his parents’ King City home and fled.
Oregon State Police trooper Nic Cederberg caught up to Tylka seven miles away at a residence south of Sherwood. Tylka shot Cederberg multiple times at close range, hitting him in the arms, the abdomen and the spinal canal. A bullet-proof vest blocked more bullets, likely saving the trooper’s life.
Now, more than six weeks later, the Army veteran and seven-year trooper is back home with his family.
“It was so surreal walking through our front door together and seeing all of our Christmas presents re-wrapped in Valentine’s Day paper and really realizing how much time has actually passed,” Cederberg’s wife, Portland Police officer Hayley Shelton, wrote on Facebook on Friday. “We are different people than we were when we both left home for our shifts on Christmas, and we both agree we will be better from these events... We are now living life with a newfound appreciation for every single moment, as tomorrow is never promised.”
Cederberg’s recovery has been difficult, with the trooper suffering pain that was like “having his right leg wrapped in white-hot metal,” his brother Jeff said last month. But the trooper was determined to begin physical therapy as soon as he possibly could.
Early in January, Cederberg was able to take his first steps since the shooting, with the help of staff at OHSU. After another month, he stepped through his front door. He will continue his rehabilitation from home.
On the night of the Christmas Day shooting, James Tylka was eventually killed by officers as Cederberg was sped to a hospital. Tylka and Armand were parents of a young child.
Copyright 2017 The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.