Illinois Police Release a Powerful Message

The Park Forest Police Department in Illinois has posted a powerful message on its Facebook page after one of its own was critically wounded in a shooting over the weekend.

Officer Tim Jones was shot during a gun battle with a 21-year-old Thurman Reynolds, who died in the exchange early Saturday morning.

Jones was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with life-threatening injuries and underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the right side of his face near his jaw.

The 1-year veteran of the police department is currently in the ICU and was listed in critical but stable condition as of Sunday.

Here's the full statetement from the Park Forest Police Department:

This isn't a press release. It's just us getting back to what we do best on social media- having a conversation with you.

We appreciate the continued concern for Officer Jones. He remains in critical but stable condition this morning, and he is in excellent medical hands. A Park Forest Police Officer is with him and his family 24 hours a day. That's the thing about this job: When tragedy strikes, it's not just a job, it's family.

We are overwhelmed by the show of support from citizens far and wide and from law enforcement agencies across the country. Unfortunately, far too many police departments understand what we are going through. Thank you for your many kind words. While we cannot respond to or acknowledge every post, we do read and appreciate them.

We continue to have an important job to do, serving and protecting the people of Park Forest, and no matter when or where you are reading this, you can be sure we are out there doing that very job. We are a small, tree-lined community tucked among the many Chicago suburbs and a stone's throw from the Indiana state line, and while we have experienced the same challenges facing the rest of the region, we will continue to work hard to keep Park Forest the friendly, livable community it has always been.

Again, thank you for your support. It means more than you will ever know, and please continue to keep Officer Jones and his family in your thoughts and prayers.