A Whatcom County, Washington, man is being hailed a hero after helping save the lives of deputies involved in a residential shooting earlier this month.
Cody Deeter recalled how he and his kids were outside on Feb. 10 when a neighbor reportedly came outside and fired his gun during an alleged dispute with another neighbor over burning garbage.
It was a moment of “absolute terror,” according to KCPQ-TV.
The 60-year-old suspect reportedly started yelling before shooting his firearm. That’s when Deeter took action.
“Got the kids inside, and we went in and got our weapons,” he said.
The situation reportedly intensified when authorities arrived, with the suspect allegedly shooting responding Officers Jason Thompson and Ryan Rathbun in the head and face.
Deeter responded to the chaos not by taking cover but by opening fire at the gunman.
“That’s when I step around the corner. I drop an entire magazine at this guy,” he said. “It was nerve-racking. My heart was definitely racing.”
Deeter also helped drag one of the officers over to a garage until backup arrived on the scene to help.
The police department is thanking Deeter for stepping up to the plate to help — and they’re crediting him with saving the cops’ lives.
“Thank you for what you did,” one cop said. “There is no doubt in my mind that you saved those deputies’ lives.”
As for Deeter, he said he did for the officers what he knows they’d do for him.
“Those guys would take a bullet for me,” he told KCPQ-TV. “They would take a bullet for you.”
Thompson and Rathbun could reportedly lose permanent eyesight due to their injuries in the shooting.
“Jason sustained injuries that will require ongoing medical care,” reads a GoFundMe description for Thompson. “We have established this GoFundMe to assist Jason and his family as they navigate next steps.”
Rathbun’s GoFundMe fundraiser also notes that he will need ongoing care.
Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Sigmar decried the events that unfolded Feb. 10, noting that the suspect’s purported actions endangered the community.
“The defendant’s actions resulted in a gun battle in a residential neighborhood,” Sigmar said. “Indiscriminate shooting that places an entire neighborhood at risk followed by the malicious targeting of those responding to serve and protect this community should not be tolerated and cries out for high bail.”
The suspect, Joel Young, who faces two charges of first-degree attempted murder, is being held on $5 million bail.
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