To cheers and applause from his fellow cops, an NYPD officer who nearly died after he was dragged by a fleeing car last year left a New Jersey rehabilitation center Monday.
Dalsh Veve of North Baldwin sat silently, his 3-year-old daughter Darshee on his lap, as a nurse wheeled him out of the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange. Walking beside him, his wife Esther — whose faith in his recovery was lauded Monday — waved and smiled at the cheering rows of NYPD officers and brass who came to see him off.
“She said from day one that this day was going to come,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said. “I am not sure we all believed, but I know she did.”
Veve, 36, was injured last June while responding to a 911 call in Brooklyn. While he was talking to several people in a Honda Civic, the car suddenly pulled away, dragging him for two blocks. He managed to fire his service weapon, shooting the alleged driver — a 15-year-old boy — in the face, police have said.
After spending months in a coma and with a prognosis that officials acknowledged was not hopeful, Veve was brought to Kessler for intensive rehabilitation in January. Four months later, Veve was able to talk in a whisper and gave visitors a thumbs up, O’Neill said.
As he exited the facility Monday afternoon, Veve did not wave or try to speak but he seemed to be aware of his surroundings as an NYPD pipe and drums band played.
“This is a positive step in Dalsh’s progress,” O’Neill said after Veve was driven away in a van. “He still has a ways to go, as you can see.”
Officials said Veve will be taken home, where additional work will be done to improve his motor functions.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, said the day underscored the importance of family in the lives of officers.
Veve was promoted to detective in October.
The alleged driver, a reputed gang member who police have said was driving a car stolen from Valley Stream, has been charged with attempted murder. That case is pending, a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said.