Staff Reports
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that two deputies who were wounded in a violent December 12, 2023 gunfight with an armed suspect were recently recognized by their department for extraordinary bravery. The department’s public posts about the incident and its tradition of awarding courage to deputies make clear that these men and women put their lives on the line to keep our neighborhoods safe.
On the night of December 12, 2023, deputies who attempted to stop a suspected drunk driver were met with gunfire after a pursuit, and both were struck before the suspect was mortally wounded. One deputy’s ballistic vest stopped a potentially fatal round, while the other suffered a grazing wound — outcomes that underscore how thin the line is between a routine traffic stop and a life-or-death fight.
Hardworking Americans should be furious that it takes an ambush like this for officials to properly praise the people who answer the call every day. These men and women showed calm, training, and courage under fire; honoring them with awards is the bare minimum of respect our community owes those who stand between citizens and chaos.
This episode is also a warning shot to policymakers who pander to criminals while undermining law enforcement with draconian oversight and career-ending scrutiny for officers who do their duty. If we want streets where families can raise children without fear, we must stop treating deputies like political footballs and start treating them like the public servants they are — worthy of respect, protection, and full legal support when they make split-second decisions to save lives.
Local sheriffs and rank-and-file deputies deserve more than platitudes: they need adequate funding, up-to-date protective gear, and leaders who will back them when the bad guys come armed and ready to kill. Communities that invest in law enforcement and hold criminals accountable are the same communities that prosper, and conservatives should make that argument with energy and conviction.
So today we salute the two Pierce County deputies who were wounded in that December 12, 2023 engagement and who were recently recognized for their valor. Stand with the thin blue line, demand accountability from our courts and elected officials toward lawbreakers, and never apologize for defending the men and women who keep our neighborhoods safe.
