When three San Diego police officers headed to Anthony Elliott’s house, they were bracing themselves to deliver the heartbreaking news that their friend and colleague had been shot in the head.
It was a moment heavy with dread.
But before they could even ring the doorbell, Elliott’s voice came calmly through the Ring doorbell speaker — alive, steady, and unmistakably his.
That voice changed everything.
The Shooting That Could Have Ended It All
It all happened in December 2023. Sergeant Anthony Elliott, a highly respected San Diego cop, Navy veteran, SWAT team member, and father of two, was chasing a dangerous suspect across the front of a grocery store in Carmel Valley.
The suspect was involved in a domestic violence case and was known to be armed.
In a terrifying instant, the suspect jumped over a brick wall, then turned back and fired a bullet right into Elliott’s head.
“I didn’t even see the gun because of the angle,” Elliott recalled.
“He jumped the wall, I was right behind him, and then next thing I know, I’m five feet away and he shoots me in the head.”
The bullet entered his skull and lodged deep in his brain.
Miraculously, Elliott never lost consciousness.
Fighting to Stay Alive in the Blink of an Eye
Elliott remembers the horrifying moment with chilling clarity.
Using the one side of his body that still worked, he grabbed onto nearby shopping carts, stopping himself from hitting the ground a second time — a move he believes saved his life.
“It’s ironic,” he said. “Usually the second impact, like hitting the pavement, finishes you off.
But I caught myself, and that probably saved my life.”
Even as blood pooled beneath him, Elliott’s mind stayed sharp.
Instead of giving tactical orders, he focused on love — telling his officers to reassure his family.
“Tell my kids daddy’s going to be okay,” he said.
“Tell my wife I love her. I wanted them to know I tried.”
Saying Goodbye Before He Knew He’d Survive
Lying there, Elliott told his fellow officers how to check his wound, all while thinking of his young sons.
His left side was paralyzed, and he feared the worst.
“I knew what was happening. I told my guys to check for an exit wound. I knew I was shot.
I couldn’t move my left side. I figured this was it. So I started saying my goodbyes.”
What stood out most to Elliott was what filled his thoughts in those moments: not his career or possessions, but his wife and kids.
“I wasn’t thinking about my job or my house,” he said.
“I was thinking about my wife and my boys. That’s all.”
Holding On Through the Darkness
Medics rushed Elliott onto a trauma bed and began stripping off his uniform.
Somehow, he still had his phone with him.
He tried calling his wife, Laura, but her phone was off — she was resting at home with their two young children.
“I knew they were going to come to my house to say I’d been shot in the head,” Elliott shared.
“Before they could even say ‘he’s okay,’ she’d already think I was dead. I couldn’t let her feel that.”
So, instead of letting fear take hold, Elliott waited for the Ring camera to activate.
When his fellow officers arrived, he spoke calmly through the speaker, reassuring them—and more importantly, his wife—that he was still alive.
A Miraculous Survival That Stunned Everyone
The officers were stunned. Here was their friend, with a bullet lodged in his brain, yet talking and thinking clearly.
Doctors at the hospital tested his cognitive functions, and Elliott insisted on making that call to his wife.
“Doctors wanted to see if I could still speak, if I had presence of mind,” he explained. “They let me make the call.”
Just days later, on December 23, 2023, Elliott was flown to Craig Hospital in Colorado, a leading neurological rehab center.
There, the Denver Police SWAT team greeted him with an emotional salute — a powerful reminder of the brotherhood he belonged to.
Fighting Back Against All Odds
Doctors warned Elliott he might leave the hospital in a wheelchair.
But he was determined to defy those odds. The rehab was intense, like “drinking from a firehose,” he said, pushing his body and mind every single day.
“They told me to take one step, and the next day I asked for five.
Then they said, ‘We’re climbing stairs today.’ So we did.”
His goal was to flood his brain with movement and activity, rebuilding neural pathways before swelling subsided — the critical window for recovery.
Returning Home and Relearning Life’s Smallest Details
By mid-January 2024, Elliott was back in San Diego, able to stand, walk, and hold his children again. But the journey wasn’t over.
He entered an outpatient brain therapy program to relearn how to write, organize, and plan.
His left leg still felt numb, like “static on a fuzzy TV screen,” but he kept moving forward.
Finding Healing in Family and Everyday Moments
Elliott credits much of his healing not just to therapy, but to the simple, everyday moments at home — wrestling and playing with his toddlers, reading bedtime stories, and sharing tickle fights.
“My wife brought the kids to Denver after therapy sessions,” he said.
“Coming home to wrestle with one arm was the best therapy of all. That routine, that love — that’s what made me fight.”
Returning to the Job He Loves
In September 2024, Elliott returned to work, first taking on a desk role with the SWAT unit.
Then just one week ago, he surprised everyone by getting back out on patrol.
“It’s not forever,” he says. “My wife is sacrificing so much to let me try.
It’s hard on her. But I needed closure. I needed to know I could still do it.”
His first day back was tough — he felt out of place and unsure.
But by day two, it felt like he’d never left.
A New Mission: Inspiring Others with His Story
Now, Elliott has started public speaking, sharing his incredible journey to inspire others.
His message focuses on resilience, mindset, and never forgetting what truly matters.
“Everyone talks about resilience,” he says, “but unless you’ve clawed your way back from something real, it’s just words.
I’ve lived it. I want to help others live through it, too.”
Above all, Elliott wants his children to know their dad never gave up.
“When I thought I was dying, I didn’t think about medals or jobs.
I just wanted to tell my kids I love them. I just wanted to play with them one more time.”