In this episode our two hosts become an interviewer and an interviewee. In 1997, a rogue gunman began a violent rampage in the town of Colebrook. One of the responding officers, Warden Wayne Saunders of New Hampshire was injured in an attempt to apprehend the subject. The badge he wore on that day deflected the bullet shot by the suspect and saved his life. In this episode Wayne tells his personal account of that day and how it affected his life.
Our Sponsors:
Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH
International Wildlife Crime Stoppers
Here’s What We Discuss:
- Episode dedicated to Senior Corporal Jeff Neal of Hope, Arkansas
- Dedicated to Scott Phillips and Leslie Lord, New Hampshire State Police
- Survived a critical incident in a small town
- A regular day with a field day the next day
- Report of a stolen cruiser, possibly by a kid
- “Turn off your blue lights”
- Jurisdictional issues in mind
- Dust hanging under a bridge pass
- Man with a campaign hat pointing a gun 15 yards away
- Cover and concealment
- Everything was in slow motion, yelled at people in a restaurant to leave
- Backed up slow, then fast into a tree
- I didn’t know what was going on
- Center of the badge was shot off
- Ricochet of the 7 rounds
- Don’t my boots; sorry I wrecked the cruiser
- Shredded my bicep, scarred to this day
- Found out what happened from the news
- Staying in the fight even when injured
- From the hospital to funerals
- Brothers holding me up
- Improving communication, switched rifles
- New York response team
- It takes a horrible incident for improvement
- The only woman that made me cry: physical therapist breaking down scar tissue
- Negative comments made me transfer
- Critical incident fallout; learning experience
- Worse for your partner to get shot than to be the victim
- Physical and mental pain
- I always wanted to be the cowboy in the woods, no one would take that for me
- Brought game wardens to state police with shooting pay support
- We’re always on duty
- More tools available now
- Pack of wardens
- Usually not next to cruiser
- People hide and hide things in the woods
- Educate the public on what we go through
This podcast brought SO many memories back as I was in Colebrook that day and heard the shootings. I remember walking past the News And Sentinel office, saw Vicki was dead but I went to Dennis who was still barely breathing, I started CPR on him until the EMT’s arrived. This is a day I will NEVER forget. Leslie Lord was a friend of mine…the nicest fairest man