BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — On Monday, four years after he was shot in the line of duty, Ofc. Cullen Stafford of the Birmingham Police Department retired. 

Stafford’s retirement comes after 12 years with the Birmingham Police Department. On Monday morning, the police department wished Stafford a “Happy Retirement” on their Twitter, alongside the hashtags “commitment,” “excellence” and “integrity.”

On July 17, 2019, Stafford was shot seven times by a robbery suspect, Roderick Wilson, in downtown Birmingham. The shoot-out left Stafford with injuries in his mouth, shoulder, knee, hip and feet. 

He was then hospitalized at UAB hospital where surgeons removed a bullet from his mouth. A rod was also placed in Stafford’s leg due to his injuries. 

According to Stafford’s cousin, Cullen was also one of two officers admitted to the ICU in July 2017 after being t-boned by a suspect. Later in 2017, he was named Officer of the Year.