Wounded Officer Gets Call From Kenny Chesney After Singer's Shout Out Flub
By Chelsea Lacey-Mabe, Dan Majka
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Just days after being shot multiple times while conducting a drug investigation, a Delaware County police officer was making tentative plans to grab a beer with country singer Kenny Chesney.
On Saturday, the singer played a show at Lincoln Financial Field as part of his Spread the Love Tour. He didn't want the audience to forget about Folcroft Officer Christopher Dorman who was recovering in his hospital bed at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center across town in West Philadelphia.
On Friday, authorities say the 25-year-old Dorman was shot seven times in the leg, chest and stomach while investigating an alleged drug crime.
Chesney had heard about the shooting in his dressing room before the concert and decided to give Dorman, whose injuries had prevented him from attending the show, a shout out during his performance. While on stage, Chesney mistakenly told the crowd Dorman had passed away.
In a press release, Chesney later explained he had gotten caught up in the moment and wasn't as clear as he could have been about the officer's condition.
"The idea that a hero like that, with seven bullets in him, would even think about me... I heard about it right before I hit the stage, and it stopped me in my tracks," Chesney said. "Someone whose life was on the line, and after all that bravery? As anyone in the stadium knows, I kept pausing, trying to collect my thoughts."
He made up for the confusion by personally calling Dorman in the hospital Sunday morning, wishing him a speedy recovery and making plans to watch an Eagles game and have a few beers together one day.
"To honor a policeman who survived something so horrific, to be rocked so hard by all those people, to see a city so alive, that's everything about why we do this," said Chesney. "To Philadelphia, you have a lot of heart - and it was an honor to rock with you [Saturday night] and honor one of your own!"
