LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas – Liberty County sheriff's Deputy Richard Whitten is slowly making progress after he was shot earlier this year.
Whitten was initially paralyzed from the chest down after he was shot in the neck by a murder suspect on May 29.
Whitten recently recalled the moments he tried to pull the suspect over.
"I hollered at him twice, 'Show me your hands, show me your hands.' Before I knew it, he pulled a gun on the right side where I couldn't see him and took a shot. I don't know if it was a lucky shot or not, but he got me," Whitten said.
Whitten spent four weeks in the intensive-care unit before being transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann where he is rehabbing from his injuries.
Whitten has since regained the use of his right arm and is learning to stand again with the help of new technology.
"I'm a God-fearing man. I believe in miracles. I believe that he has a plan for each and every one of us,” Whitten said.
Whitten’s wife Kami has been at his side since the beginning.
“When I’ve been down, she’s been there for me talked to me and helped bring me back up. Like I said, she’s been my biggest cheerleader,” Whitten said.
Whitten isn't sure when he’ll be discharged or if he’ll make a full recovery but said his goal is to rejoin the Liberty County Sheriff's Office in some capacity.
“I'm working very hard to try to get back to where I was at. I’m not saying it's going to happen, but I’m going to sure try,” Whitten said.