Warren police officer suffered line-of-duty spinal injury, returns to work 2 months early

Warren Police Department Patrol Officer Krystal Legendre, who was severely injured in the line of duty on April 22, has recovered and returned to work Friday, months ahead of schedule.

Legendre, 35, of Warren, is one of several officers in metro Detroit who have been severely injured or killed in the line of duty in recent months. Three Michigan police officers were fatally shot this summer, including two in metro Detroit.

According to the Warren Police Department, on April 22, Legendre and several other officers responded to a large fight at Lincoln High School. While officers were arresting an adult male, a juvenile female jumped into the arrest scene and began to assault Legendre, striking her in the back of the head and causing her to fall to the ground.

Legendre was rushed to an area hospital while the suspects were placed under arrest. Ultimately, 18-year-old Danasia Kennedy-Johnson, of Eastpointe, 18-year-old Xavier Jones, of Warren, and a 17-year-old juvenile female from Eastpointe were charged with several felonies for their role in this incident, Warren police said. All three cases are still pending in the Macomb County Circuit Court.

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Having suffered a concussion and a bulging cervical disc in her neck from the attack, Legendre was hospitalized for two weeks and had to undergo spinal surgery to replace the disc in her spine. Unable to walk or lift even small items, her doctors estimated it would take her at least six months before she would return to full strength and be able to return to work, but Legendre had a different plan.

"Day one of a surgery, I was asking my surgeon 'What's the soonest I can return to work?' " she said. "I just had one goal in mind: I am coming back to the job I love to do. ... I dedicated everything I could week after week to make sure that I could be here today."

Legendre spent six weeks in a cervical collar, relearning how to perform simple tasks, then had two months of physical therapy, several times a week, to rebuild her strength.

After several medical evaluations, Legendre was medically cleared to return to work on Friday, months ahead of what she and the department had originally anticipated, Warren police said.

She said a day didn't go by that someone, whether it be a family member, friend or another officer, came to check up on her, and that she owes her quick recovery to them.

"I can't thank (my doctors) enough ... and my department and my support system, because honestly, if I didn't have any of that, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be returning probably as soon as I have," Legendre said.

The attack on Legendre came just months before two officers in metro Detroit were killed in the line of duty. On June 22, 30-year-old Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Bradley Reckling was killed during an ambush while following a stolen vehicle, leaving behind three young children and a pregnant wife. On July 21, 23-year-old Melvindale police officer Mohamed Said was shot and killed after serving just 14 months. In Hillsdale County, Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr. died in Hillsdale in the line of duty on June 27.

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"We are a family across the nation, especially here in Michigan. ... Unfortunately, the recent line of duty deaths didn't just hit me as just another death; it hit me a little personally because I could have been killed," said Legendre. "You get rushed to a hospital and you don't know what's going on other than your body is numb. It's really hard."

"The senseless attacks, they're probably not going to stop. ... There's a bad apple in every profession, but we're not all the same," she continued. "If I go home at the end of my day, and I haven't done anything other than just talk to my community, that's actually a perfect day. I would love it. And I wish every officer can be that way."

"I know the public doesn't always have the best idea of us. But my goal is: I come out here and try to change every mind that I can on a daily basis," Legendre said. "If later on in life (her attackers) are asking for help, I'll be right there to help. There's no reason I should stop helping people. It's what I chose as a calling to do."