FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – A city police officer returned home exactly three months after he was shot during the October ambush in the Vintage Place neighborhood.
Sgt. Scott Williamson spent several weeks at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta recovering from his injuries in the shooting, which killed two officers and injured five others, counting him, on October 3.
Sgt. Williamson was shot in the head during the shootout. His family says his recovery is not over yet, but seeing who they call “Scotty” back at home is a major step forward.
Exactly three months later, with an escort from his fellow officers, “Scotty” is finally home.
“I know why I worked so hard for the last three months,” Sgt. Williamson said to the family, neighbors and police officers at his homecoming Thursday night. “I know why I pushed myself every day, so I could come back home, be with you guys and be with my family.”
With blue balloons and porch lights lining the streets of his neighborhood, Williamson was greeted with hugs, tears and laughs.
“We are amazed and it speaks to his level of tenacity to persevere,” said Florence police chief Allen Heidler.
Williamson has been with Florence PD for about 15 years and is a sergeant in the crime scene unit.
Family members say he was always drawn to be a police officer.
“I remember as a young teenager, he used to ride in the explorer program over in Darlington and he made friends with police officers over there,” said Judy Lambert, who’s Sgt. Williamson’s aunt.
Sgt. Williamson’s head and hand injuries are still healing, but he now recovers at home with his loved ones.
“A lot of you have done things for him that only he knows about and I want this community to know you have made the last three months of his life bearable and encouraging,” Lambert said.
Chief Heidler says Sgt. Williamson is the last officer in the city’s police department injured in the Vintage Place shooting to be released from the hospital.
Sgt. Williamson’s family says he still has a lot of rehab left before deciding if he can return to the force.