Atlantic City Officer Shot in Head Leaves Hospital

An Atlantic City police officer who was shot in the head as he responded to a robbery outside a casino Sept. 3 left the hospital Thursday afternoon to applause from dozens of officers and other rescue personnel, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer .

Joshlee Vadell, 29, an expectant father, gave a thumbs-up, saluted, and waved as he was carried out of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center on a stretcher and placed into an ambulance. Police said he was headed to a rehabilitation center.

On Sept. 8, the department posted on its Facebook page that Vadell's ventilator had been removed and he was sitting up and talking.

Vadell, a nine-year member of the force, and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby in about a month. A GoFundMe account has raised more than $106,000 for Vadell. It was set up by a local business owner and Matt Rogers, president of the Atlantic City Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 24.