In three days, two sheriff deputies from separate counties were shot in the line of duty.
On Tuesday, Chatham County Sheriff Deputy Matthew Mitchell was shot in the arm and leg during a hostage situation. Then, on Thursday, Franklin County Sheriff Deputy Taylor Lucas was shot in the chest at point-blank range.
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Corporal Daniel Allen, a K-9 officer with the Oxford Police Department, said he knows the impact all too well.
In May 2023, Allen was responding to a call of a man acting erratically. Allen told WRAL News at the time he was at the end of his shift when he responded. Police said Allen, along with his dog, were met with a rapid succession of gunfire when they arrived. He was hit, but able to take cover while waiting for backup.
Two years later, he still thinks about that day.
"I would think about it at least three, four, maybe even five times a week," Allen said. “That was something that I hope no one has to go through. But living in this day and age, I’ll be honest with you, how the world is going, we are bound to go through it as police officers.”
The trauma of these experiences extends beyond the officers themselves, affecting their loved ones who constantly worry and fear for the officer's safety. Allen told WRAL his shooting forced him to shift his priorities.
“You put things in perspective. I used to work a whole lot of hours at the Oxford Police Department. Sometimes I would have 80 hours of overtime," said Corporal Allen. "It made me value my family even more and I cherish those things that I did not cherish and took for granted.”
Allen said every officer recovers differently. Some wounds heal quicker than others, and some recover from the trauma of being shot faster than others.
Allen offered words of support to Mitchell and Lucas, encouraging them to take their time to heal and remember why they got into law enforcement in the first place.
“Keep going, man. There is a lot of fight left in you. God has allowed you to be here for another day for another reason.”