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Manchester, NH Police Officer Returns To Work Year After Being Shot

MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) - On March 21 of 2012, a fleeing suspect turned and shot the pursuing officer seven times. Today, that officer returned to work.

Officer Dan Doherty didn't tell anyone he was coming, so the surprise around the station was palpable.

"It was a bittersweet day," Doherty said. "There was a lot of emotions."

Much of the emotion came from Doherty himself, who wasn't sure he'd ever be back in a uniform.

"I remember after the third day, I was in a drug induced coma," he recalled. "I remember first waking up thinking that my career is over."

Last March, he had been pursuing Myles Webster when Webster turned and shot him. Today, Webster is serving a minimum 60-year sentence in New Hampshire state prison.

The memories of that day make Doherty nervous, he admits. But he wants to prove he's the same officer he was before that fateful day.

"I was met by one of the officers who saved my life," Doherty said. "And when I saw him walking down the hallway, I felt a lot better about my decision to come back."

As for what he's learned from his recovery, Doherty claims to have grown, but knows he did the right thing.

"I would say I'm a little wiser now," he said. "But I''d do the exact thing I did the day of march 21."

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