Amber Assistant Police Chief Returns To Work After Being Shot

The assistant police chief in Amber is back on patrol after he was shot just a few months ago.  His doctors said his speedy recovery is a miracle. 

Mark Asche said the shooting changed his life. 

He cheated death, and he knows it.  Asche said he now takes time to enjoy the little things in life.  Like spending the day splashing around the pool with his daughter who he affectionately calls Alf after the 1980’s sitcom.  Ashe said he takes the time to enjoy every one of Alf’s little giggles. 

“When I told her what happened she had one of my old badges, she calls it magic badge, and she just held it and said she was going to be there for me if I needed.” Ashce said.

Back in February, Ashce was working part time security at a Del City Walmart when he caught a shoplifter.  Asche took the shoplifter, 25-year-old Gabriel Carter, to the security office and called Del City Police.

“He was polite.  Respectful.  Never cussed.  Never raised his voice.  So I treated him the same way as he was treating me.” Ashce recalled.

But that changed when Del City Police arrived, and Carter realized he was going to jail.  That’s when Carter turned on the officers.

“They went to the ground.  I tried to help the officer.  I heard ‘gun, gun, gun’ then a whole bunch of shots and a whole lot of pain in my arm,” Asche said

The Del City officer shot and killed Carter, but not before Carter got off a few shots of his own.  Ashce was hit in the arm and abdomen.  He’ll forever carry his scar as a memory of what happened.  

“The bullet hit the colon and the intestine and it cut me open pretty good to heal me.  My arm doctor expected me to be out of work for another year getting the use of my hand back.  But I got it back and he was totally surprised,” Asche said.

Ashce is back on patrol, doing the job he loves.  But more important, he understands how close he came to death and plans to make the most out of life, enjoying the little things like spending the day in the pool with his daughter. 

“I cherish those a whole lot more,” Ashce said. “Doing things with her and doing things with my family mean more to me now than they ever did before.  Because I had the mindset that I was immortal, and nothing would ever happen to me.”

See Also: Fundraiser Held For Injured Amber Police Assistant Chief