Monday, October 1, 2012

Salina Police released new information Monday in the shooting last week that left one of their officers seriously injured.

Shortly before midnight last Thursday, officers were investigating the report of a stolen car that led them to a home in the 300 block of North 13th Street.

Officers were told the suspect was in the basement, possibly armed with a handgun. As five officers entered the home, they ordered the man to come out. That's when police say the man began firing at officers through a door and wall.

Officer Chuck Huen was shot in the face and dragged out of the home by other officers. A six-hour standoff followed, and ended early Friday morning when the Special Response Team entered and found Marijon Gadson dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officer Huen was shot in the right eye, and that bullet exited his right ear. He was taken to an Oklahoma City Hospital and released on Saturday. He is scheduled to be back in Oklahoma City for a check-up on Monday and is expected to have at least two more surgeries to reconstruct his face.

"Getting hit in the head is bad luck on a random shot through a wall, but I can't tell you how happy I am that he even survived that," said Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield. "Obviously, losing an eye is a grievous injury and I'm very, very sorry that it happened."

Mansfield said Huen will need to make several trips to an Oklahoma City hospital to have reconstructive surgery to his face. He was released from immediate care on Saturday and returned for a checkup today.