‘We are family;’ Law enforcement, hospital staff ‘clap out’ Clayton officer Cody Cecil

DAYTON — Just five days after a suspect shot a Clayton Police Officer multiple times, he walked out of the hospital, Tuesday, Oct. 31.

>>PHOTOS: Large group of officers gather as injured Clayton officer released from hospital

North Main Street, next to the Emergency Room entrance at Miami Valley Hospital was lit up red and blue.

Dozens of law enforcement officers waited outside to show support for Officer Cody Cecil.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Clayton officer shot in arm while serving warrant on man wanted in Middletown

“Law enforcement’s not that big of a community. It is a small world and we just we’re a family and we need to stick together. Now more than ever,” Huber Heights Police Division Officer Nick Lambert said.

Just after 2:20 p.m., News Center 7′s John Bedell could not only see the support but now hear it.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Coroner identifies man found dead in Clayton home after police officer shot, standoff Thursday

A group of officers, deputies, and state troopers lined the Emergency Room exit for a “clap out,” giving Officer Cecil a round of applause as he walked out of the hospital and into a waiting Clayton cruiser.

A domestic violence and arson suspect shot Officer Cecil while he was working to arrest him on a warrant last Thursday, Oct. 26.

Later, the suspect was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Cecil was hospitalized and needed surgery Friday morning, Oct. 27.

>> PHOTOS: Police officer shot, large investigation involving SWAT responds to Clayton neighborhood

On Tuesday, Cecil walked out of the same entrance he was rushed into just a day earlier. They were symbolic steps on his road to recovery.

“It’s encouraging for us. I know a lot of people are praying for him and a lot of people came together and it brings communities and everything together. And we just so humbled and happy to see him walk out under those circumstances,” Lambert said.

The Clayton Police Department is not big.

One of their officers told News Center 7′s John Bedell that there are 18 of them total and added, “Yep. We are family.”

The Clayton Police Department thanked everyone who has shown support to Cecil and the department during this time, as well as those who dropped off food and care packages, according to a Facebook post from the department.

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Clayton Officer Shot Released from Hospital Dozens of officers and state troopers from across several cities in Montgomery and Greene counties gathered outside Miami Valley Hospital Tuesday as Officer Cody Cecil was released from Miami Valley Hospital five days after he was shot while serving a warrant in Clayton. (Clayton Police Department)

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