Officers Injured In East Boston Shootout Meet Doctors Who Saved Them

BOSTON (CBS) – Two police officers who were injured in a shootout with an East Boston suspect met the doctors who saved their lives during a Friday event.

"To see this outpouring of gratitude is extremely important to us," Dr. George Velmahos of Massachusetts General Hospital said.

Officer Richard Cintolo and Officer Matt Morris were shot while responding to a domestic disturbance in October on Gladstone Street.

Kirk Figueroa, who police identified as the gunman, was shot and killed by responding officers.

On Friday morning, Cintolo and Morris were at Mass General, along with Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, Dr. Velmahos and Dr. David King.

It marked the first time the officers have been to Mass General together since they were rushed there in October.

Boston Police said the officers wanted "to thank the doctors who were there for them when they needed them most."

The officers, on behalf of the police department, presented the doctors with awards for their service. It was an emotional reunion for both officers and doctors.

"I feel the emotion and I share it, as a matter of fact, because there's nothing more important than knowing that you were close to death's door and now you're alive," Dr. Velmahos told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal.

The doctors say the real honor is seeing the officers doing so well just four months after they were shot in the line of duty.

"People who were dying when you first met them, to see them walking around and laughing and living well. There's no better job satisfaction, for me at least," Dr. King said.

Following the shooting, both officers underwent multiple surgeries before being released from the hospital after lengthy stays.

The doctors say the life-saving care began when two other officers dragged Cintolo and Morris out of harm's way and applied first aid.

"We put a tourniquet and Officer Clifford pinched a nerve to stop the bleeding. At that point, we knew it was critical and every moment counted. That's why we made the decision to go in without regard for our own safety," Boston Police Sgt. Norberto Perez said.

Heroic actions of the doctors and policemen helped Cintolo and Morris stand at MGH Friday, but Sergeant Perez also believes they had something else on their side that night.

"The incident happened at the base of the Madonna. That's divine intervention when I look back and I'm very grateful," Perez added.

The doctors said the men they saved that night are more than police officers, more than patients. They're friends.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal reports