Shot Texas Officer Saved By Vest
KENNETH DEAN
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Surrounded by his fellow officers, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper thanked his family, other law enforcement, his training and, most importantly, God during a press conference Saturday morning at East Texas Medical Center.
Trooper Steven Stone, 29, briefly talked about being shot Wednesday night when he made a traffic stop on Texas Highway 31 just east of Farm-to-Market Road 2908.
"First off I would like to thank God, because it is by his grace that I am alive," he said.
Stone was allegedly shot by Ramon Ramos, 37, and Francisco Saucedo, 38, both of Tulsa, Okla.
The trooper began to place Ramos under arrest when the man allegedly grabbed a handgun from the waistband of his jeans and fired at the trooper point-blank.
Saucedo then reportedly got out of the passenger side of the pickup and fired several more shots. Stone fell to the ground and rolled into a ditch.
After the suspects fled the scene, Stone made it back to his patrol car and radioed for help, giving a description of the men and their pickup.
Smith County deputies who quickly arrived on the scene loaded Stone into their car and took him to the hospital.
"I'd like to thank the Smith County sheriff's deputies and I want to thank Deputy Brian Allison immensely," he said.
Sheriff J.B. Smith had said earlier that an EMT-certified deputy had administered first aid to the lawman en route to the hospital.
VEST SAVES LIFE
Dr. Stephen Rowe, ETMC trauma surgeon, said Stone suffered four to five gunshots at close range, but a potentially fatal gunshot was deflected by the trooper's vest.
"We are issued protective vests and it is my policy to always put on my vest," Stone said.
Rowe said one gunshot was to the left side of the chest, one missed his trachea by less than a centimeter, and one went into the shoulder. There were also several graze wounds.
"When he thanked God earlier, he was right. He is very fortunate to be alive," he said. "The vest stopped a bullet that would have gone into the lung and quite possibly have hit the heart."
Rowe said Stone faced months of physical therapy and possibly additional surgery, but the doctor said he believed the trooper would make a full recovery.
"It will be a good couple of months before he has full use of his left arm," he said.
Stone said he is getting stronger, but knows he has a long road ahead of him.
"Right now I will admit I'm pretty sore, but I feel better than I did a few days ago," he said.
While Stone was receiving medical attention, Ramos and Saucedo were spotted by a citizen who had heard about the incident on a police scanner.
The man called police and reported he thought the suspects were at a meat market on South Beckham Avenue.
After spotting police, the two men fled and engaged in a gunbattle with Tyler police officers during a pursuit that ended when the suspects hit another motorist on Texas Highway 64 East.
Both men, who were wearing body armor and armed with multiple weapons, were taken into custody and transported to Tyler hospitals.
Police officials said the occupants of the other vehicle were uninjured.
Ramos and Saucedo remain in the Smith County Jail charged with 14 counts of aggravated assault on a public servant and are being held on bonds totaling $23 million each.
"Every officer in the back of their mind knows this can happen, but they think, 'It will never happen to me.' It just happened so quickly," Stone said. "It is a huge relief to know they are off the streets and can't hurt anyone else."