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Deputy Recounts Getting Shot

Suspect Accused Of Killing Mother, Brother, Setting Home On Fire

POSTED: 4:26 pm CDT May 20, 2009
UPDATED: 6:46 pm CDT May 20, 2009

A sheriff's deputy who was shot in the line of duty went back to work Thursday in the very same neighborhood where the incident happened.

Deputy Derrick Ledbetter was hurt during an intense standoff in Overton County after police said Kevin Clark killed his own brother and mother and then burned the woman's home last Wednesday.

When Ledbetter and Sgt. Robert Garrett responded to the emergency call last week in Monterey, Tenn., they were surprised by the magnitude of the situation.

"That was as close to a war zone, probably with everything that was going on that day, that I'd ever seen," said Garrett.

Officer swarmed the area when the shooting and fire occurred.

"We were behind a burning house; it's blowing up propane in the house," said Ledbetter. "At this point, we do not know where the shooter was at."

"I jumped over a fence (with) a deputy behind me. I looked over my shoulder, and when I do, I see a gun come up. I turn around to engage, and, before I do, I get shot. I actually saw myself get shot," said Ledbetter.

The 22-year old deputy was rushed to the hospital.

"(I had a) burning sensation. It didn't break the skin, but you could tell you've been shot," said Ledbetter.

The shot could have been fatal if he had not been wearing his bullet proof vest.

Ledbetter will return to work on Thursday for the first time since the close call. He will be back patrolling the same area.

Ledbetter is getting married next month and is expecting a baby later this year.

Clark is also facing attempted murder charges for trying to kill Ledbetter. Clark's family said they buried the suspect's mother, Vida, and his brother, Roy, this past Sunday.

The Overton County Sheriff W.B. Melton said this was the first officer-involved shooting he remembers happening in the county in the past 20 or so years.


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