Throwback Thursday: Springfield Police Department cop throws first pitch after being shot

SPRINGFIELD -- 10 years ago, Ozarks First covered Springfield Police Officer Aaron Pearson throwing out the first pitch at a Springfield Cardinals game.

Check out this video above to see the emotional moment that gripped Springfield and all of Hammons Field. Pearson defied the odds of his recovery after being shot in the face.

The man who doctors predicted would never walk or talk again proved them wrong in a big way in May 2015. He was shot about four months earlier on January 26th, 2015. Taking the mound with his son Jack by his side, "I'm a Survivor" played throughout Hammons Field as he tossed a strike.

“That’s the thing I wanted– my Jack,” Officer Pearson told Ozarks First. “That was funny– he’s awesome and I’m glad he was there with me.”

After the pitch, the Springfield Police Officer's Association presented a $500,000 check to Pearson’s family.