“Everybody, I'm Deputy Rodney. And on June 8 of this year, I was struck by a bullet during a gunfight on duty as a deputy in Mississippi,” explained Yates Rodney, sheriff deputy of Covington County, Mississippi.
Fox News reported Rodney pulled over two brothers, Cortavious and Cortavion Hobbs, for a seatbelt violation in Mt. Olive, Mississippi. The Covington County chief deputy sheriff said the encounter started cordial until Rodney noticed marijuana in the car and began questioning them. According to WLBT, the boys fled the scene, but their car got stuck soon after. Rodney ordered them out of the vehicle, which resulted in him getting shot by one of the brothers.
WAPT reported that Rodney is opening up about his experience on social media, with the shooting leaving him paralyzed from the lower chest down.
“I'm going to start posting daily updates of my progress. Hopefully, it will inspire somebody, and I'm going to trust God in all of this, and I appreciate everybody's support,” Rodney said on social media.
Posting on TikTok, he is showing all aspects of his recovery, not only what would be considered the positives. In his biography, he says that he is fighting to walk again.
“All right guys, change of clothes. I peed all over myself. Part of it sometimes. I'm in new clothes. I got my first push pass which means I can leave the hospital for four hours before I got to go back for medication,” Rodney posted.
Randy Sutton, president of The Wounded Blue, is providing peer support for Rodney.
“This is not pretty stuff. He's posting everything about what his journey after being paralyzed is like and it is harsh,” says Sutton. “To bring the reality of the danger of policing to the American public and I consider him a hero.”
Sutton says his group is helping Rodney with his mental recovery.
“My entire team is made up of police officers who have been shot, stabbed, beaten, run over and come out on the other side. Knowing that you're not the only one that has walked that journey is critical,” Sutton says.
