St. Charles, MO — Troup County (GA) Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hockett, 24 years old and newly married, recently became the best kind of statistic – a survivor – thanks in part to his Propper 4PV concealable armor.
According to the sheriff’s office, Hockett was responding just before noon on January 9 to a welfare check call in the rural community when he was allegedly shot by Matthew Edmonson multiple times with a shotgun-type weapon, including in the side, where the 4PV he was wearing under his uniform stopped the projectiles from penetrating. Hockett returned fire, striking the suspect once in the shoulder, then retreated to his vehicle, where he called for backup as he drove to safety. In all, Hockett was struck in the forehead, side, hand, and elbow. The suspect was later taken into custody by the SWAT team after a long standoff.
The Sheriff’s Office released the following statement:
Around 11:55 [January 9th, 2017] a Deputy with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a residence on Jackson St in Troup County regarding a welfare check on an individual. When the deputy arrived he exited his vehicle to go around a fence toward the house and heard what he described as a banging sound. As he looked in the direction of the noise he saw a white male firing a gun at him. The deputy then retreated at which time the individual got into a truck and began driving toward the deputy. At that point the individual exited his truck and began firing at the deputy who announced to the person that he was a deputy and the deputy returned fire striking the male who then got in the truck and went back to the house.
The deputy, Michael Hockett, was struck by gunfire and was able to retreat to his vehicle and call for further assistance and was transported to West Georgia Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released a short time later.
At 6:25 PM the suspect, identified as 28 year old Matthew Edmondson, was arrested without further incident after coming out of the residence he had been held up in since the incident began. Edmondson was assessed on scene by emergency personnel and was transported to Columbus Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his shoulder.
The scene has been turned over to the GBI and charges are pending against Edmondson. Nothing further at this time.
“We are extremely grateful that the vest did its job and Deputy Hockett survived this potentially deadly encounter,” said Skip Church, Vice President of Armor Products for Propper. “The four-panel design of the 4PV placed the protection where he needed it. A typical two-piece vest would not have performed as well.”
The 4PV’s four-panel system includes separate side panels that bridge the gap between the front and back panels, filling in the vulnerable opening found in two-piece designs.
Hockett was presented with a brand new replacement vest courtesy of Propper at a ceremony honoring his bravery. This is the first recorded save by a Propper 4PV since the company began making armor in 2014.
Dashcam footage of the incident.
