This morning, Somerville Police Department Detective Mario Oliveira (Ret.) shared his poignant story, “Surviving the Unthinkable”, with the 6th Fitchburg State University Police Program's Recruit Officer Course (ROC). On November 2, 2010, while assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives Boston Field office as a Task Force Agent, Detective Oliveira was shot six times at point blank range while serving a Federal arrest warrant.
Mario’s story is incredibly powerful and impactful on many levels - it’s a human story as much as it is a story about being a police officer. He offers a unique perspective into what it’s like to have a near death experience and some insight on what might happen to us when we die.
Detective Oliveira told of his time in the Mass General Hospital Emergency Trauma Bay, where he had an amazing experience with the afterlife. He shared that he was visited by his late Grandmother in the form of a nurse. Detective Oliveira’s grandmother provided him with Hope & Faith that he would pull through despite dying three times that evening.
The cadets were captivated by the presentation and eagerly asked Det. Oliveira questions at the end. An appropriate presentation as the 6th Fitchburg State University Police Program will have their graduation program this Friday, September 15. Det. Oliveira has shared his story in a book, Gunrunner: The Mario Oliveira Story, and he also the Co-Founder of Violently Injured Police Officers (V.I.P.O.).
