With bullet still in his arm, Muscogee County Sheriff’s deputy awarded medals, thanks God
Almost three weeks after being shot in the arm during a shootout with three teens, Sgt. Jeremy Hattaway thanked God after he was awarded two medals for his actions that day.
“I believe he had a big part in why I’m here today,” Hattaway said during a ceremony held on the sixth floor of the Government Center Thursday. “God watches over all of us every day.”
The 17-year-olds charged in connection with the shooting — Claudie Thompson, Adarrius Hamilton, Vincente Perez-Lopez — allegedly opened fire when Hattaway caught up with the vehicle they were riding in. The automobile had been reported stolen.
When Hattaway cornered the teens at Andrews Road and East Central Street, they started shooting, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman previously told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Hattaway fired back, striking one suspect three times and another once. The bullet is still in Hattaway’s arm, though he told the Ledger-Enquirer he hopes it will be eventually removed. Hattaway offered no first-person account of the shootout Thursday as the case remains under investigation by the GBI.
Countryman and Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson presented Hattaway with the medals and thanked him for his efforts that day, which they called heroic.
“He made a split-second decision which was the right decision,” Countryman said. “Our men and women go to work oftentimes not knowing if they will return home.”
Hattaway’s law enforcement career in Columbus began in 1996 at the Muscogee County Prison. He joined the sheriff’s office about eight years ago, he said. Hattaway is also an Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan.
During Thursday’s event, Hattaway thanked his wife, Alison, as well as his three daughters, Madison, 21; Megan, 19; and Savannah, 16, for their love and support.
“(My wife) is my rock,” he said. I can’t thank her enough. We’ve been married for 23 years. ... She’s been there and taken care of everything. So, really and truthfully, my wife is my hero.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 1:05 PM.