PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Deputy Chris Stone is back to work after being shot by a suspect during a shootout on June 8 in New Port Richey.
- Deputy was shot inside suspect's home
- Shot in the leg, femoral artery cut
- Suffered some nerve damage due to injury
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Stone, a Pasco County Sheriff's Office K9 handler, was among a number of deputies who responded to a home for a domestic violence call that night. Before the shootout erupted, he and the other deputies were trying to convince the suspect, Terrance Peterson, to surrender.
During the exchange of fire, Stone was shot in the leg and his femoral artery was cut. He says he remembers everything from that night, including collapsing outside and being pulled to the street by his fellow deputies.
He also remembers what he was thinking when he realized he was shot.
“Was today going to be the last time my wife, my kids and my parents saw me when I went to work?" said Stone.
He spoke publicly on Thursday about his recovery and how he's glad to be back at work with his K9, J.R.
“It’s nice to get back to your normal life and doing what you’re doing, because it’s very discouraging when you can’t even put on your own socks in the morning, so I needed to get back to a normal life,” he explained.
The Sheriff's Office released graphic body camera footage on Thursday that showed what happened that night from Stone's perspective and that of other deputies.
Today, Stone says his family is doing well. Unfortunately, they've dealt with this type of situation before.
Stone's father was also a deputy with the Pasco Sheriff's Office and in the 1980s he was shot.
Stone did say he suffered some nerve damage from his injury and he has scarring on his leg. He spent five days in the hospital, followed by weeks of physical therapy.