Polk deputies shot in the line of duty face months of recovery
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LAKELAND, Fla. - One of two deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office who was shot in the line of duty last weekend is now recovering at home. The other remains in the hospital, receiving treatment.
Sheriff Grady Judd said it will be a long road ahead for both Deputy Craig Smith and Lieutenant Deputy Chad Anderson.
Smith was released from the hospital and now has rods in his arms. Anderson is expected to make a full recovery, but Judd said he came within a fraction of an inch from being paralyzed – or killed.
The shooting unfolded on the morning of April 27 after deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle in Hunt Fountain Park in Lakeland. They said Kyran Caples claimed to be a "sovereign citizen," which means he believed he was above the law.
Officials said Caples opened fire on the two deputies, but Smith and Anderson then returned fire, killing him.
Judd said Thursday that PCSO received a call from Caples' mother, who said her son went to Fresno State to study business. However, he left three years ago, and she hadn't seen him since.
"She told us ‘I dont even recognize this person. My son was raised as a Christian and in a great home,’" Judd said. "She said she wanted to meet with the deputies and apologize for the horrific action of [her] son."
"We should also be sad for her. She lost her son that day, because he was a sovereign citizen and attacked and tried to kill our deputies," Judd said.
Judd said investigators discovered Caples had a small armory in his car, and they found a 9mm gun and two loaded magazines in the door of the vehicle. In the backseat, investigators found a gun converted to an AR-15 and another handgun.
With months of recovery ahead for the deputies, the sheriff's office has set up a donation fund on its website to help the deputies and their families with some of the anticipated expenses.
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