On July 11, 2008 Officer Derek Purcell responded to a call of suspicious activity in a Wichita, Kansas neighborhood. Upon arriving the suspicious character was nowhere to be found, but Officer Purcell spoke with members of the community and decided to linger in the area for awhile. Soon, Derek spotted a man fitting the description he had been given and approached him. When he called out, the suspect turned around and fired two shots, the first hitting Officer Purcell in the left leg, the second in the right. Derek attempted to pursue the suspect, who had taken off running down the street, but one of the bullets had hit an artery in his leg, causing it to give out. Officer Purcell credits his survival to the quick actions of his colleagues, who placed themselves in harm's way to assist him with his injuries. While Officer Purcell was undergoing treatments, officers out on the street were closing in on the suspect, but before they could reach him, he committed suicide. Officer Purcell was told after his incident that it would be at least a year before he returned to active duty, but six months and six days later he was back on the job. As a result of this incident Officer Purcell received the Silver Wrath of Valor, the Police Shield award and Police Officer of the Month for Wichita Police Department.