Cincinnati police give signed Elly De La Cruz jersey to detective shot in Reds gear

NEW BEDFORD — Detective Lavar Gilbert managed to drive himself to the hospital after being shot in the face while undercover on the night of July 17.

Chief Paul Oliveira called it miraculous.

Gilbert was able to take all that in stride but he was dismayed with the loss of a favorite shirt, stained with his blood, and now evidence in a criminal investigation.

"The first thing he said when he came to after being shot in the face and driving himself to the hospital - on the doorstep of death - was that he was worried about his jersey," said Frank Occhipinti, resident Cincinnati Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Agent-in-Charge.

It was a new Cincinnati Reds Elly De La Cruz jersey, and Gilbert was upset that it had been ruined.

New Bedford police officers and federal ATF agents were at St. Luke's Hospital to monitor the condition of their brother officer.

The 17-year veteran New Bedford Police officer has also been a member of a joint Task Force with the ATF for the last decade.

It's one of about 60 joint ventures with the ATF and local police departments to curb gun violence across the nation.

Occhipinti said it took only a day or two before ATF Boston called his office with a special request: Could he reach out to the Cincinnati Reds organization and see if a replacement jersey could be provided?

"So we took it from there," Occhipinti said.

Elly De La Cruz signs first Cincinnati Reds jersey for injured Massachusetts detective

Cincinnati police officers, also members of the Task Force, joined in and the Reds were contacted.

The Reds not only provided a jersey.

They provided a jersey signed by the 21-year-old Reds' shortstop, though Elly De La Cruz rarely gives autographs.

Cincinnati Police Lt. Eric Vogelpohl, also a Task Force member, said it was the first item the Reds have had him sign.

"That's his first and only one so far," Vogelpohl said.

Club ownership was involved from the start and owner Bob Castellini's wife, Susan, was "instrumental in making this happen," Vogelpohl said.

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'We wanted to pay him back in a good way and see if we could make this happen for him'

Occhipinti said he and a couple of Cincinnati police officers assigned to the Task Force flew to Massachusetts last Friday to present the jersey to Gilbert.

They were joined by a contingent from New Bedford PD, ATF's Boston Field Division, Boston PD officers, and U.S. Marshals.

In all about 30 people visited Gilbert at his home to present the jersey to him.

Gilbert was overwhelmed and appreciative, Occhipinti said, though still dealing with his recovery.

"It's a small community, the law enforcement community nationwide," Occhipinti said. They wanted to show support for their fellow officer, wounded in the line of duty.

"We wanted to pay him back in a good way and see if we could make this happen for him," he said.

And Occhipinti stuck up for his colleague from Red Sox country wearing a Reds' jersey.

"It just so happens he's a big fan of the player, not necessarily the team," he said.

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Graeter's Ice Cream and Montgomery Inn send food to injured Massachusetts police officer

To sweeten the deal, literally, the Cincinnati area's Graeter's Ice Cream shipped Gilbert ice cream

And since you can't live by sweets alone, the Cincy-area's Montgomery Inn shipped him some ribs.

Vogelpohl said the ice cream is "really, really good."

Legend also has it that Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope were fans of the ribs.

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How is Detective Lavar Gilbert doing?

Gilbert was released from his initial hospital stay July 21, and continues to recover at home.

The investigation into Gilbert's shooting is ongoing. One arrest has been made.

Cheybane Vasconcelos-Furtado, 20, is being held without bail and is charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, two counts of wanton destruction of property over $1,200, as well as one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon-serious bodily injury, carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds, police give jersey to injured Massachusetts detective