‘I’m alive and I’m happy for it;’ Retired Clearcreek Twp. Officer Eric Ney honored during ceremony

DAYTON — The 16th Annual Montgomery County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony was held Friday.

Hundreds of people gathered at Riverscape to spend their morning honoring local police officers that were killed in the line of duty.

During the ceremony, retired Clearcreek Township Officer Eric Ney and his wife Lisa were honored almost a year after he was shot in the line of duty.

>> Eric Ney, Clearcreek Twp. officer shot in 2022, to retire from force today

Lisa told News Center 7 this day was very special to them and their family.

Ney nearly lost his life protecting and serving his community, and today he was honored with 46 other officers.

“I’m alive and I’m happy for it,” Ney said.

Ney was shot while responding to a domestic violence call in July of 2022.

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“I wasn’t supposed to make it through the night, they came and got my wife and kids, took them to the hospital, and ten months later here I am,” Ney said. “I can no longer see out of my left eye, I cant smell or taste, my memories gone.”

Ney spent three months recovering in the hospital.

After over a decade of service, he medically retired in April.

“His entire life has been changed,” Lisa told News Center 7. “It’s been very difficult because he always took care of things and im not very good at that.”

Lisa said although Ney is physically ok now, it is still really hard for the family to think of that day.

“It was traumatizing for all of us and so now…I had to be strong in the hospital but now I just walk around the block and I start crying,” Lisa said. “We take a day at a time. So we get up, we try to live normal lives.”

Ney told News Center 7 he leaned on prayer and his family during his road to recovery, and he’s beyond thankful for the support he’s gotten from his fellow officers and the community.

Ney and Lisa will be honored at a ceremony in two weeks during National Police Week to recognize everything they have gone through since that July day.

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