Phoenix officer back to patrol after being shot several months ago

PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer returned to work last week following months of recovery after she was shot in the line of duty.

Morgan Bullis returned to work on July 12 after being wounded in an ambush-style shooting in March.

“Today, I’m excited because it was kind of a step in the right direction. It was an injury that I couldn’t control. Somebody else controlled for me. So coming back, it was a lot of work, but I’m happy to be here,” Bullis said in a video posted to the Phoenix Police Department’s social media pages Monday.

She added that she felt excitement to return to work because of the camaraderie at the station.

Bullis was injured March 24 after responding to a call about a car crashing into the front yard of a residence near 11th and Atlanta avenues, south of Broadway Road.

When she arrived at the scene, the driver fired at her before she left her patrol vehicle, striking her in the hip. She was also hit in the lip with a fragment.

The suspect, Joseph Lopez, was arrested following a daylong manhunt. He was booked into Maricopa County Jail on multiple counts, including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault on an officer.

Bullis was released from the hospital a day after the shooting.

Since then, her main priority has been to return to work.

“Police officers have to be a voice for people who can’t be a voice, so not everybody can defend themselves and that’s okay because we’ll be here for them,” Bullis said.

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