A pair of Polk County deputies who were injured during a shooting involving a Moorish sovereign citizen in late April have been released from the hospital.
On April 27, Deputy Sheriff Craig Smith and Lieutenant Chad Anderson were shot while responding to a call in the Duff Road area of Lakeland, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
Lt. Chad Anderson was shot in the arm, the bullet becoming lodged near his heart. Deputy Sheriff Craig Smith was shot twice in the arm.
“It is through the grace of God our Lieutenant and Deputy did not die that evening,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a video post. “They both have extensive injuries, and today we are happy to report that they have both been released from the hospital.”
The video features photos of Deputy Sheriff Craig Smith, including shots of him on duty and one of him with a cast on his arm in the hospital alongside Sheriff Judd.
Also shown in the video is Lt. Chad Anderson, seated in a wheelchair, being taken out of the hospital as other sheriff’s deputies cheer him on.
The video ends with a thank you message to the staff at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and the community.