Wounded Wyandotte County deputy is improving but still in critical condition, doctor says

Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Wood remains in critical condition but is stable and improving after being shot multiple times early Wednesday, his doctor at the University of Kansas Hospital said Thursday.

Though Wood remained on a ventilator in intensive care, he had improved enough that he was writing notes to others and cracking jokes about his nurse.

He also used hand signals to tell his wife that he loved her.

“The last 24 hours, the improvement my husband has made tells me God is healing him,” Staci Wood said while sitting next to their 16-year-old son, Blake, who called his father his “superman.”

The robbers “brutally and savagely” attacked Wood, 42, and then stole from him Wednesday inside the 7-Eleven in the 4400 block of Shawnee Drive, Sheriff Don Ash said during a Thursday afternoon news conference at the hospital.

Wood, who has been with the sheriff’s office since late 2007, had stopped for food after his shift ended about 1 a.m., Ash said. The robbers entered while Wood was inside.

Ash thanked law enforcement, medical personnel and community members who rallied to help Wood and the sheriff’s office after the shooting.

The crime prompted a large-scale manhunt that included police helicopters, horse-mounted officers and tracking dogs.

Ash said that although the investigation was ongoing, “a number of persons of interest” were in custody in connection with the crime.

He said he had no information to believe any other suspects remained at large. Additional information about the suspects will be released in “the near future,” he said.

Wood is assigned to the operations and patrol services division but spent most of his career with the sheriff’s office in the detention unit, Ash said.

When asked if the shooters may have recognized Wood from his jail assignment, Ash said it was a “distinct possibility.” But he added that the motive of the assailants, other than their intent to rob the store, was unknown.

Asked whether she could forgive the robbers, Staci Wood cited her faith, not her personal feelings.

“They are going to be forgiven,” she said. “That is what my Bible tells me. I am not here to judge.

“I pray for those people because there must be something not right in their life to do something so harsh.”

Michael Moncure, head of the hospital’s trauma unit, said Wood “stands to make a good recovery.” He did not release details of the number of wounds or where the bullets hit the patient.

Wood will be tested on a day-to-day basis to determine when he is strong enough to breathe without the ventilator, Moncure said.

The doctor said he was not surprised to see Wood’s improvement because of his positive attitude and the scope of love and support he has received.

Staci Wood said that a deputy from another county, who had been injured, came to visit him, and Wood wrote a note asking him how he was doing.

“He wants to know how other people are doing before himself,” she said.

She didn’t hesitate to answer yes when asked if her husband would return to duty when he recovers. When asked that question by a visitor, he wrote: “as soon as possible.”

“He can’t wait,” she said. “He’s one of the toughest men I know.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Wounded Wyandotte County deputy is improving but still in critical condition, doctor says."