Five days before Christmas 2020, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Officer Kevin Behr was shot from behind while investigating a poaching operation. Nearly two years and 15 surgeries later, he shares his remarkable story of survival, courage, and determination.
Our Sponsors:
Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH
International Wildlife Crimestoppers
Here’s what we discuss:
- Incident occurred on the final day of deer gun season
- Information about a chronic poacher operating in the area
- Poacher had previously served prison time
- Setting up a decoy in a rural area
- Shooter was less than fifty feet away
- Shot from behind with a 20-gauge slug
- You feel being shot before you hear it
- Reverted to training: communicate, move, shoot
- Hit the emergency button on portable radio
- Legs wouldn’t work
- Goal was to stay alive until someone arrived
- Felt like molten steel
- Shattered pelvis, multiple organs damaged
- Shock wave travelled through the skull
- “Bring more combat gauze.”
- Concerns about potential ambush
- New goal: stay alive until EMTs arrived
- In and out of consciousness
- New goal: stay alive until landing at the hospital
- Accept the fact that you have been shot
- Use those few seconds to focus on training – and act
- Requested the level one trauma centre
- Milliseconds count
- Shooter had a thermal scope – what did he see?
- Offered no aid. Threw gun and ran.
- Potentially more homicides in this felon’s future
- Some light moments on a dark day
- 28 days in ICU
- Fifteen surgeries to date
- The long road back
- Your mindset matters
- Most internal organs were damaged
- Nobody gets a free pass from PTSD
- Learning new limits
- Making gains all the time
- Spinning a positive from a negative
- Training, tactics, and experience will get you through
- Shooter sentenced to a total of nearly 15 years
Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Art & Design: Ashley Hannett
Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches
Subscribe:
Find More Here:
Amazing story of survival. Thanks for sharing about your mindset during that traumatic event.