Speaking from his bed at the Royal Preston Hospital, 34-year-old Pc David Lomas praised his colleagues who put their own safety at risk to help him to safety and the medics who treated him after he suffered shotgun wounds to his chest, shoulder and face.
The officer - who has been in the force for just under four years - was fired on from a house in Hardman Avenue, Rawtenstall, on Monday afternoon, after he and a colleague called in connection with a complaint of harassment.
A siege developed with the gunman barricading himself inside the house and throwing a petrol bomb from a window.
More than 18 hours after the shooting, officers entered the house to find a dead man lying next to a dead dog in the upstairs bedroom of the house occupied by Stephen Hensby, 54.
Police have not yet formally identified the body or released the cause of death.
An investigation into what happened is to be supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
But police have confirmed Pc Lomas was wearing a stab proof vest, which also provides a level of protection against firearms.
He said: "I am still feeling pretty sore, particularly in my shoulder, but I know the wounds will heal and I am being looked after really well by the hospital staff. I know that my colleagues showed a lot of bravery to get me away from the scene and I am very grateful.
"I'm looking forward to getting back on my feet and back to work as soon as I can. Despite what happened, Rawtenstall is a great place to be a community beat manager so the sooner I can get back the better."
The officer, from Bury, has been surrounded by family since he was airlifted to the hospital.
His dad, Robert, is a retired detective inspector and one of his brothers, also named Robert, is a chief inspector with Greater Manchester Police. Mum Gwen and brother Ian also rushed to be by his side after hearing news of the shooting.
Pc Lomas's dad said: "This obviously came as a great shock to us all yesterday but we are encouraged by the progress David has made overnight.
"He hasn't had to undergo any surgery so far, so fingers crossed that remains the case over the next few days.
"We are grateful that David is as well as he is, but we do all feel a sense of sadness about how the incident ended."
A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said there had been nothing to indicate the officers would face the level of violence they did when they initially attended the house.
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