In an emailed statement to WCNC Charlotte, Chief Proctor said:
"My officer Cpl. Whittington is recovering and has a very long road ahead of him. He is still in pain at times but is progressing daily. He is in good spirits and told me today that he holds “no ill will toward the shooter and has forgiven him.” Cpl. Whittington says “we must be willing to forgive as Christ has forgiven us”.
I, Chief Proctor, know that those words seem strange to many but we will never heal as individuals, as a City, State or Nation until we learn to come together and truly care for one another even in the most difficult situations. I do not know what caused Mr. Anthony to shoot Cpl. Whittington but I thank God that he is still here and progressing daily. We are so thankful that we did not have to plan another funeral for another hometown hero as we all have seen with the tragic killings of Officer Tyler Herndon of Mt Holly Police and Officer Jason Shuping of Concord Police.