‘It really hurts’: Friend of injured Polk deputy shocked after shooting that left him, colleague in hospital
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LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Two deputies are recovering after being shot early Saturday morning, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Grady Judd said the deputies were shot while trying to remove an uncooperative man from his car at Hunt Fountain Park.
“Lt. Chad Anderson was shot once in the arm and it went through and into his chest,” Judd explained. “Deputy Craig Smith has four gunshot wounds, they went down immediately.”
“Lt. Anderson got some rounds off,” he continued. “The backup deputies shot a lot.”
Both deputies were transported to the intensive care unit at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
Anderson has been with the sheriff’s office for 26 years, working to be involved with the community during his time with the sheriff’s office.
As for Deputy Smith, he’s also touched the hearts of many in his almost 12 years of service with the sheriff’s office.
Gus Parra said he’s one of those people, recalling a time his accidental 911 call, turned into a fun basketball game.
Deputy Craig Smith and Gus Parra play basketball after accidental 911 call. (Credit: Gus Parra)
“He kind of just laughed it off,” Parra explained. “He went around and he checked, you know make sure everything is okay.”
“He’s like, ‘hey you wanna play some basketball?’,” he continued to recall. “I’m like, ‘yeah let’s do it.’
Parra was shocked to hear the news Deputy Smith was shot Saturday morning.
“When something like this happens to somebody like him, it really hurts,” he said.
Multiple investigations will take place because the shooting involved law enforcement.
A task force will then report their findings to the state attorney.
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