KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Knox County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dalton Swanger released a statement Saturday night after suffering a head injury on June 22.
In his statement, Swanger thanked many people including friends, family, the UT Medical staff, other law enforcement personnel at KCSO and his girlfriend. He thanked the team at “On Patrol Live,” which caught the incident on video, as well as the show’s fans. Swanger also thanked everyone who reached out and contributed to the fundraisers.
“And above all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for renewing my faith and showing me that even when I don’t deserve His grace, it still falls upon me,” Swanger said. “He is my true strength.”
The deputy also shared a list of his injuries: depressed skull fracture, cerebral contusion, disc protrusions in his cervical spine and intracranial contusion.
Swanger said he was “unequivocally” coming back as a deputy, saying it had been his dream and passion since childhood.
“Helping one person have a better day or making the community just a little bit safer — that gives my life meaning,” he said. “I’m blessed and proud to call myself a Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy, and as long as God allows me to do this job, I will continue to do it with everything I have.”
Swanger also responded to people who believed incidents like his injury should not be shown on television. Swanger believes it should be shown.
“Policing is complex — difficult to explain to those who haven’t lived it,” Swanger said. “On that night, On Patrol: Live captured a moment that most people will never see — a raw, real, and violent side of policing that we hope never happens, but must always be ready for.”
He also responded to questions about why only one officer stayed to administer aid while the other tried to address the ongoing threat. Swanger said this was “absolutely the correct call.”
On June 21, Christpher Michael Hensley, 44, struck Swanger with a large rock or brick, causing head trauma, court records showed. Hensley faces charges including attempted second-degree murder.
In his statement, Swanger shared his own perspective of the incident. He said that he responded to a domestic call and reports of shots fired. After speaking to the person who had called, he and other law enforcement officers searched for the suspect.
They announced their presence but “were met with a violent and aggressive verbal response,” Swanger said. Swanger turned off his flashlight to avoid becoming a target if the man was armed. He then heard objects landing around him, he said. He tried to move behind a tree to protect his head.
“The next thing I remember was an overwhelming pain in my head,” Swanger said. “I saw what looked like a green starburst, my body completely locked up, and I fell. I couldn’t move.”
He continued, “I didn’t know if I had been shot or what had happened. As I was being dragged out of the woods by my partners, I felt something running down my head — which, I later learned from video footage, was blood.”
On the way to the hospital, Swanger had a grand mal seizure. It’s the last thing he remembers before waking up in the hospital, he said.
On June 23, Sheriff Tom Spangler said Swanger was “doing a little better” but remained heavily sedated. On June 29, KCSO announced Swanger was awake, and on July 4, it said he had returned home.
“To all of the incredible people, institutions, and moments that gave me something to hold onto when I was broken — thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Swanger wrote.
KCSO shared Swanger’s statement on its Facebook page.
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