A Scranton police detective critically wounded earlier this year is now a King’s College graduate.
Kyle Gilmartin, shot twice in the head Jan. 11 in West Scranton, received his diploma on Tuesday.
The Luzerne County native and nine-year veteran of the police department graduated from the Lackawanna College Police Academy in 2010. He also attended King’s College from fall 2008 through spring 2012, according to the school.
A recent review of his transcripts found that his combined coursework at King’s and Lackawanna College made him eligible to graduate with a bachelor of arts in sociology from King’s.
King’s held a ceremony on Tuesday with Gilmartin’s family, the senior cabinet and several members of the board of directors.
“I appreciate everything this community has done for us,” Gilmartin said after receiving his degree, according to a release from the school. “They kept us going. Thank you.”
Gilmartin’s father, William, graduated from King’s College in 1979 with a history degree. His brother, Ian, graduated in 2009 with an accounting degree.
“It was a great joy to bestow Kyle his diploma,” said Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D., president of King’s College. “As the son of a retired New York City firefighter, I grew up knowing that the men and women in blue risk their lives every day at work. When Kyle was wounded in the line of duty and I learned that he needed less than a semester’s credit to earn his diploma, our registrar, Kristen Lemoncelli went to work. I was happy to learn that the credits he earned at the police academy provided what he needed to complete his King’s degree.”
