Wounded Fort Worth officer reflects on shooting nearly 10 years later

FORT WORTH, Texas - This month marks 10 years since a Fort Worth police officer was shot and nearly lost his life in the line of duty. Today, Det. Matt Pearce remains on the force, and he’s reflecting on his close call.

Officer Matt Pearce Shot

The backstory:

On March 15, 2016, Det. Pearce and other officers were in pursuit of a wanted fugitive. The chase went from the roadway to on foot.

Pearce was in a wooded area and mistakenly thought his suspect was several yards ahead of him. An ambush followed.

"All of a sudden, he pops back up and I see him pop back up and he shoots me literally like a movie scene and blows me backwards," he recalled.

The man he was chasing, Ed McIver, Sr., shot Pearce six times. He was hit twice in the arm, twice in the leg, once in the back, and then a final time in the face. 

McIver was later killed in a shootout with police.

Survival Story

Wounded Fort Worth officer Matt Pearce released from hospital

A Fort Worth police officer critically injured in a shootout went home Tuesday amongst pomp and circumstance.

What's new:

Even 10 years later, Pearce has yet to watch the body camera video of his shooting.

"I don’t need video to remind me of what happened. I remember it every single day," he said.

He was in recovery for nearly two years after the shooting.

He testified at the trial of Ed McIver, Jr, the son of the man who shot him. McIver’s son didn’t get jail time but was sentenced to two years of probation for misdemeanor evading arrest.

The injured officer also underwent some much-needed therapy.

"I’ve got some nerve damage in my right hand, walk with kind of a limp from some nerve damage in my right leg," he said. "I think the biggest thing is when I came back to work, I was pretty angry about just what happened.

Today, Det. Pearce continues with his passion, working full-time as a traffic investigator. 

When he’s off duty, he’s dedicated to family time, which includes keeping up with his two daughters, who play volleyball.

"I’ve said since day one, if I had to go back and do this all over again knowing the outcome, I’d probably still do it because that’s the job," he said. "It’s a calling. I would’ve never come back to it if I wasn’t completely passionate about it. I had no reason to. I could’ve walked away and medically retired and no one would’ve ever said a word to me about it. But that to me wasn’t why I was put on Earth. I was put here to do civil service."