CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Ross County deputy sheriff who was shot in the line of duty is making progress while he remains in intensive care at a Columbus hospital.
Sergeant Eric Kocheran woke up Wednesday morning, just a day before Thanksgiving. He had been in a medically-induced coma for nearly a week. Kocheran was shot once in the chest last week, with the bullet going through his lung, grazing his heart, and landing in his liver after being ambushed behind the Sheriff’s office.
Kocheran has a long road to recovery, according to the Sheriff’s office. He remains on a ventilator but medical staff hopes to have the tube removed by the end of Wednesday. The machine is helping Kocheran breathe as his lung continues to heal. Because a bullet remains lodged in his liver, the volunteer firefighter continues to lose a lot of blood. Two blood drives by the American Red Cross were held this week, with a third one set for Friday. Medical staff said the fragments will have to remain because removing them would cause more damage.
While Kocheran remains groggy from medication and continues to heal, being awake is one step closer to recovery.
