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Deputy walking, talking again after being struck by gunfire during ambush outside PD

Sgt. Eric Kocheran was placed in a medically induced coma after being shot in the chest outside his police station last month

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Facebook via Ross County Sheriff’s Office

By Ashley Silver
Police1

CLARKSBURG, Ohio — A deputy who was wounded after being ambushed outside a police station last month is now on the road to recovery.

Surveillance video showed Nicholas Mitchell, 42, walking toward the Ross County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office and knocking on the back door window. After Sgt. Eric Kocheran opened the door, Mitchell told the officer he needed help because somebody was threatening his family and they wanted him to hurt children. He then said he can’t do that, so he “has to do this” and pulled out a gun, shooting the deputy in the chest. Kocheran then returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect.

According to FOX 28 News, Kocheran is now talking and starting to walk again less than a month after the incident. The news station spoke with Kocheran’s sister, who says the sergeant is out of the ICU. He’s been making progress, taking a few steps with a walker and making jokes with people who visit him in the hospital.

The community’s support has been key to Kocheran’s recovery, according to the report.

“When it happens to one of us, it really affects all of us,” Deerfield Township Fire Department’s Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Lynch told FOX. “Him making that sacrifice for our community and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice if he has to just really hits home and hits us in the heart.”

Firefighters worked with Kocheran in his role as both a Union Township firefighter and Ross County Sheriff’s Office deputy before the shooting.

The Deerfield Township Fire Department hosted a fundraiser last weekend to raise money for Kocheran and his family, where community members and businesses donated food and raffle items.

“Honestly, he has dedicated his life to serving others, and I guess this is kind of our way of giving back to him and serving for him,” Lynch said.

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