Boston Police Officer Matt Morris leaned in on Friday morning to shake the hand of one of the Massachusetts General Hospital trauma surgeons who helped save his life after a shootout in East Boston in October.
“It’s good to have you here today,’’ said Dr. George C. Velmahos, who along with Dr. David King treated Morris and Officer Richard Cintolo in the frantic hours after a heavily armed man shot them each repeatedly during a domestic disturbance call.
“It was good to have you there!’’ Morris said, grinning widely.
Morris and Cintolo appeared at Mass. General on Friday along with Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans to present the surgeons with a plaque, honorary badges emblazoned “BPD Doctors,’’ and Bruins jerseys with their names embroidered on them.
“Aren’t we lucky to have these two doctors?’’ Evans said to a round of applause.
Trauma surgeons see the most dire injuries, and take care of many patients, King said — but working on police officers is special.
“It’s a unique honor to take care of those who protect us,’’ said King, who also helped care for patients after the Boston Marathon bombings. “Over many years, I’ve occasionally gotten a ‘thank you’ and a variety of honors, but being called a BPD doctor — I don’t know, this might be a highlight.’’
Cintolo and Morris were shot after responding with other officers to a Gladstone Street address on Oct. 12 to investigate a report that 33-year-old constable Kirk Figueroa was fighting with and threatening his roommate.
When they arrived, Figueroa, who had strapped on a bulletproof vest and armed himself, opened fire. Figueroa was a Boston constable who claimed to be an elite security expert but was not licensed to carry a gun. His roommate later said he was a secretive man who claimed to want to “revolutionize policing.’’
Other officers shot Figueroa to death, but not before he wounded Cintolo and Morris. Officers helped stabilize the men until they could be taken to Mass. General. Officer Cliff Singletary compressed a severed artery in Morris’s leg while Sergeant Norberto Perez applied a tourniquet.
Both Singletary and Perez attended Friday’s ceremony.
“It was a great team effort,’’ said Perez afterward. “Nobody’s alone in this profession,’’ he said, while also noting “the divine intervention of the Lord.’’
Singletary and Perez played down their own actions. “I’m a police officer,’’ said Singletary. “This is what I do.’’
Neither Morris nor Cintolo has yet been able to return to work. Since the October firefight, the surgeons and the police officers they saved have grown close, and Velmahos teased Morris on Friday about cooking him an Italian meal.
“It is with great pride and delight that we accept these awards,’’ Velmahos said. “We are extremely pleased that the two officers are doing so well.’’ He said the officers are now friends as well as patients.
Evan Allen can be reached at evan-.allen@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @evanmallen.
