By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Former Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy, who was shot in the chest while protecting President Reagan during an assassination attempt in 1981, is retiring from law enforcement.
The 71-year-old said he decided recently to retire from the Orland Park Police Department in Illinois, where he has served as police chief for 26 years and earned Chief of Police of the Year from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in 2016, The Chicago Tribune reports.
McCarthy, who has been the police chief since 1994, was credited with saving Reagan’s life while serving on the president’s Secret Service detail on March 30, 1981. Reagan, McCarthy and two others were shot by John Hinkley Jr.
McCarthy said he plans to retire on Aug. 1 to spend more time with his wife, three children and seven grandchildren.
“This has been absolutely a great run,” the 71-year-old McCarthy said. “Time catches up to you. Sometimes you have to turn to family, and it’s time.”
