CHICAGO — An off-duty Chicago police officer who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back trying to break up a bar fight last weekend was released from the hospital Friday afternoon.

Officer Dan Golden was met by a large group of CPD officers and locals offering their support as he was taken by ambulance with a police escort from Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

“When I saw him the other morning I thought he was going to die in front of me,” said Golden’s father, Patrick Golden. “He was going into shock. Christ hospital brought him back, they saved him.”

Three people were charged in the shooting of the 32-year-old officer Thursday.

Golden was at Sean’s Rhino Bar near West 104th Street and Western Avenue early Saturday morning with friends after playing in the softball fundraiser Papa Hops, which raises money for families dealing with cancer.

Golden’s fiancé told WGN News that he was trying to de-escalate a fight when someone opened fire. According to Golden’s mother, he identified himself as a police officer while he was trying to break up the fight.

Golden, who works in Area Four with the Gang Investigation’s Homicide Unit, was shot once in the back and had his spinal cord severed.

Golden received well wishes from high-profile celebrities such as Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback sent Golden a video message last Tuesday offering his support for him as he recovers.

Brady’s message was reshared by St. Rita High through their Facebook page. Golden was a graduate in 2009.

If you would like to help the Golden family with medical costs and expenses, a GoFundMe page has been set up for the now paralyzed police officer.