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A Mahnomen County sheriff's deputy who
was shot in the head and abdomen remained heavily sedated Thursday,
but the sheriff thinks Christopher Dewey is going to make it.


      "I think he's going to pull through. All our prayers and wishes
are with his family," said Sheriff Doug Krier, who visited the
26-year-old deputy at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, N.D., Wednesday
night.


      MeritCare neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Justesen said Thursday that
Dewey can move both sides of his body, and general surgeon Dr.
Robert Sticca said he's cautiously optimistic.


      "He's begun to show some signs of being aware of his
surroundings. He's recognized his wife and family," Sticca said.


      However, MeritCare officials said Dewey's head wound resulted in
a severe brain injury, and it was too soon to know a prognosis.
Hospital officials said doctors were able to repair a laceration to
Dewey's liver.


      Speaking on behalf of the family, Dewey's father-in-law, Ross
Boulden, of Princeton, gave "heartfelt thanks" to law
enforcement, the American Red Cross and the hospital.


      The family received a call earlier Thursday from someone who had
been arrested by Dewey in the past, expressing "well-wishes,",
Boulden said. "Even in doing his job, he touched people's
hearts," Boulden said.


      Two suspects were in jail, with charges pending. Krier said the
shooting remained under investigation.


      Dewey was shot Wednesday morning while checking a report of
shots fired in a neighborhood in Mahnomen, a town in northwestern
Minnesota. A backup deputy found Dewey lying in the driveway of a
home.


      The shooting led to a nine-hour standoff at a nearby mobile home
that ended peacefully about 4 p.m. when the second suspect walked
out and surrendered to authorities. More than 130 officers from
agencies ranging from area sheriff's offices and police
departments, the Red River Valley SWAT Team and the FBI were on the
scene, Krier said.


      Krier, who's also an ambulance volunteer, said he had gone
off-duty Wednesday morning when his pager went off. The call was
about a shooting victim about a block behind the sheriff's house.

      "I called my office, asked what's going on. The dispatcher
said, 'My God, it's one of the officers.' I threw the phone to my
wife and said, 'I'm outta here,"' Krier recalled.


      Dewey has been with the sheriff's office for four years. The
office has 13 officers, including the sheriff, a chief deputy and
two investigators, Krier said.


      Donations can be made to the First National Bank of Mahnomen,
under Deputy Chris Dewey Fund, 103 N. Main St. or P.O. Box 378,
Mahnomen, MN 56557 or by calling (218) 935-5251.
      

Gallery

Standoff over in Mahnomen; deputy still critical

Crime, Law and Justice

A Mahnomen County sheriff's deputy who
was shot in the head and abdomen remained heavily sedated Thursday,
but the sheriff thinks Christopher Dewey is going to make it.


Minn. sheriff thinks wounded deputy will survive

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