One Putnam County Deputy who was shot twice in the line of duty spoke to us for the first time Friday.
Barak Wood was shot in the face last November. The suspect was convicted this Wednesday.
"I was truly blessed. I really was," said Wood.
He took just two weeks after the shooting to get back to work. He's tried keeping the incident in the past, but sometimes remembers the night where his life nearly took the wrong turn.
It was the night before Thanksgiving. The dispatcher sent him to a domestic dispute call. When he arrived at the home on Crooked Creek Drive, he said he saw the suspect Donovan Dann run behind the house.
He said he chased after Dann, and yelled for him to surrender.
"When I put on my flashlight I heard a boom and instantly felt pain in my face and pressure," said Wood.
Then another gun shot, sending the officer to ground. Dann ran off.
In Wood's eye socket, one of the pellets from the bullet, and in his thumb, another.
Doctor's removed the one in his hand, but feared that taking out the pellet in his eye would cause serious damage.
"It's basically on the bottom of the eye socket," said Wood.
Instead of damaging his vision, the pellet miraculously improved it.
"I now have 20/20 vision," said Wood.
Looking back at the night, he said he wouldn't change anything. "I am glad that no one had to die that night including Donovan Dann. I didn't become a deputy sheriff to hurt anybody," said Wood.
Instead, the two-year member of the force wears the badge to help, and despite his injuries, and the experience that could have claimed his life, he'll continue serving.
"We all feel fear when we get those kind of calls, but you still have to go out there, you still have to do your duty," said Wood.
As for Dann, he'll serve 10 years in prison, and 20 years of probation.
