Minn. sheriff thinks wounded deputy will survive

A Mahnomen County sheriff's deputy who was shot in the head and abdomen remained heavily sedated Thursday, but the sheriff thinks Christopher Dewey is going to make it.

"I think he's going to pull through. All our prayers and wishes are with his family," said Sheriff Doug Krier, who visited the 26-year-old deputy at MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, N.D., Wednesday night.

MeritCare neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Justesen said Thursday that Dewey can move both sides of his body, and general surgeon Dr. Robert Sticca said he's cautiously optimistic.

"He's begun to show some signs of being aware of his surroundings. He's recognized his wife and family," Sticca said.

However, MeritCare officials said Dewey's head wound resulted in a severe brain injury, and it was too soon to know a prognosis. Hospital officials said doctors were able to repair a laceration to Dewey's liver.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Dewey's father-in-law, Ross Boulden, of Princeton, gave "heartfelt thanks" to law enforcement, the American Red Cross and the hospital.

The family received a call earlier Thursday from someone who had been arrested by Dewey in the past, expressing "well-wishes,", Boulden said. "Even in doing his job, he touched people's hearts," Boulden said.

Two suspects were in jail, with charges pending. Krier said the shooting remained under investigation.

Dewey was shot Wednesday morning while checking a report of shots fired in a neighborhood in Mahnomen, a town in northwestern Minnesota. A backup deputy found Dewey lying in the driveway of a home.

The shooting led to a nine-hour standoff at a nearby mobile home that ended peacefully about 4 p.m. when the second suspect walked out and surrendered to authorities. More than 130 officers from agencies ranging from area sheriff's offices and police departments, the Red River Valley SWAT Team and the FBI were on the scene, Krier said.

Krier, who's also an ambulance volunteer, said he had gone off-duty Wednesday morning when his pager went off. The call was about a shooting victim about a block behind the sheriff's house.

"I called my office, asked what's going on. The dispatcher said, 'My God, it's one of the officers.' I threw the phone to my wife and said, 'I'm outta here,"' Krier recalled.

Dewey has been with the sheriff's office for four years. The office has 13 officers, including the sheriff, a chief deputy and two investigators, Krier said.

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Donations can be made to the First National Bank of Mahnomen, under Deputy Chris Dewey Fund, 103 N. Main St. or P.O. Box 378, Mahnomen, MN 56557 or by calling (218) 935-5251.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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