Officer Charles Lodatto had a slight limp as he walked to a chair to begin speaking to the media about life after the shooting that nearly cost him his life.

"I'm very grateful to my Lord and savior for allowing me to be here today and spend more time with my wife and kids," he said.

Lodatto's wife, Chauntel, and close friend and FBI Special Agent Andy Farrell sat on either side of the injured officer as he recounted July 23, the day a special task force unit attempted to serve a warrant to 17-year-old murder suspect Tyler Holder. Holder was suspected of murdering six-year old Alanna Gallagher in Saginaw this summer. Lodatto said the hope was to take Holder peacefully into custody, but the situation turned when Holder pulled out a gun. Lodatto was shot through his femoral artery during a confrontation between Holder and Farrell.

"Sitting here is the true hero of this story," Lodatto said proudly, pointing at his old friend and team member. "When we went into the house, he bear-hugged the guy with the gun [Holder]. I was hit during the confrontation. I let my team members know where I was hit. Andy and Robert Richardson, with Saginaw Police, applied a lot of pressure and then Andy used a belt as a tourniquet to try to slow the bleeding."

Had Special Agent Andy Farrell not acted as quickly to stop the bleeding, paramedics on scene say Lodatto could have died. Special Agent Farrell said he is no hero, but he was concerned about Lodatto's condition. "Charles looked bad. He looked very pale, but I've known him a long time. I knew we'd pull him through. I was fighting there with Charles to help him stay with us. He kept talking about his wife and kids, and I said you need to stop. You'll be able to tell them yourself later."

Lodatto's wife listened patiently as her husband of nearly 14 years said he was ready to be back at work by the end of the week.

"There's no question that he will return," said Chauntel Lodatto. "Is he returning that quickly? No."

With the bullet still lodged in his hip, Lodatto may be back to work as early as September. As he recovers at home with his wife and two young children, he thinks about the young girl who he was trying to serve justice to - Alanna Gallagher.

"I think of her often and how sad of a situation that was, especially having a daughter near that age. It was a brutal crime."

Lodatto was grateful to the Arlington Police Department, the Walnut Ridge Church, FBI and family members that collectively help him through the recovery process. Now, the 21-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department is focusing on the path ahead.

"This event will not define me, and I look forward to seeing what God has planned for me next."