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Deputy shot last October returns home
FOX 26 Reporter Damali Keith spoke with the deputy about his remarkable comeback.
HOUSTON - A deputy, who was shot along with two of his brothers in blue back in October 2021, has just now come home from the hospital. You may remember Precinct 4 Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins was killed in the shooting. Now, Deputy Darryl Garrett is finally home from the hospital.
It has taken doctors in the Medical Center months to mend Deputy Garrett’s body. After more than 20 surgeries and nearly nine months, he was finally released to go home.
BACKGROUND: 3 officers shot, 1 killed during apparent ambush in north Harris Co.
"I constantly had a lot of internal bleeding," the deputy explains.
But Friday after months in the hospital and in a physical rehabilitation facility, friends and family flocked around the Harris County Precinct 4 Deputy Constable as he was grateful to be heading home.
"God has a plan for me, and I’m just going to take it one day at a time," Garrett explains.
VIDEO: Deputy Jaquim Barthen released from hospital after being shot in ambush
The bullet from an AR-15 rifle that ripped through Deputy Garrett’s spine in October did a lot of damage.
"I lost both of my kidneys. My intestines were ripped and had to be sewed back together. My gallbladder was removed."
Deputies Garrett, Juqaim Barthen, and Kareem Atkins had been working an extra job at the 45 North Bar when Deputy Atkins began chasing a man on foot outside the lounge.
"I noticed the suspect had a firearm in his hand. When he saw me coming towards him, the firearm went off and shot the ground," said Garrett.
The deputies narrowly missed being shot that time and wrestled the gunman to the ground, ultimately getting him in handcuffs. Then a different man ambushed the deputies, opening fire on them with an AR-15.
"When I got up, I heard about four to five shots, and I hit the ground and I couldn’t feel my legs," explains Garrett.
All three of the best friends were shot.
"Yeah, we were brothers. We hung out every day. We worked together. We did everything together," says Garrett who knew almost immediately that Deputy Atkins had been killed. "I saw him face down. He didn’t seem to be breathing or anything. It’s really hard to deal with not having Kareem around, because we would just always do everything together, all three of us."
19-year-old Eddie Miller has been charged with shooting the deputies.
28-year-old Deputy Garrett is now in a wheelchair and staying strong through it all.
"I think it’s from my dad. My dad was real strong."
Outside his childhood home, where Garrett is now recovering, is where his dad was shot and killed and Deputy Garrett himself was shot that day as well. Ironically, that was October 15, 2017. Now, almost exactly four years later, Garrett was shot October 16, 2021.
He says he has forgiven both gunmen.
"I can’t heal if I’m continuously thinking about negative things. I have to think about my condition at this time, not be worried about them, and worried about if they’re going to be held accountable. I just have to let God handle the whole situation."
Deputy Garrett says he's dreamed of working in law enforcement since childhood and that hasn’t changed. He wants to go back to protecting and serving the community. He does have some feeling in his legs and Garrett says he has faith he will walk again.