MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Almost four months after being shot in the back during a manhunt for a deadly mass shooting suspect, a Henry County deputy is back on light duty.
Cpl. Daniel Podsiadly, along with two Clayton County Police officers, were shot in two separate shootouts with the gunman, who has since been identified as Andre Longmore. Longmore was killed in the shootout with the Clayton County Police officers. All three law enforcement officers survived.
On Wednesday, Podsiadly spoke to 11Alive for the first time since being shot. He is on light duty, meaning he is working at a desk and not out in the field with his K-9 companion.
Podsiadly recalled the weekend the call came over the radio regarding the quadruple homicide in Hampton. He is a K-9 handler for the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, but he was also a part of their fugitive apprehension team -- so he headed to Hampton.
RELATED: Suspect accused of killing 4 in Henry County dead after shootout that hurt 3 officers, police say
It was during the morning hours of July 15 that three women and a man were gunned down in the Dogwood Lakes subdivision off McDonough Street. Law enforcement officers across Henry County swarmed the area in an effort to track down the suspect. The search continued into Sunday, which is when Podsiadly encountered the suspect near the Clayton County line on Mt. Zion Parkway.
“I looked in my side mirror, and I could see the suspect behind me,” Podsiadly explained. "He pulled up into the office complex to avoid me, and of course, I turned around.”
It was a life-changing decision. It was Podsiadly and another deputy who pulled up into the complex to confront the suspect, who they believed was somewhere in a nearby wood line.
“As soon as I got out of my patrol car is when he started to fire at us," he explained. "We didn’t know where he was, so he essentially ambushed us."
Podsiadly said he could hear the bullets flying just inches from his head.
He quickly realized he needed to take cover, but as he went to get behind a nearby tree, he said he felt a burning sensation in his back. He’d been hit just above his belt and below his vest.
“The bullet missed my spine by an inch and a half. Went through, cracked my pelvis, then the bullet kind of fragmented. Part of it went through my abdomen and struck my colon twice. I now have a lot of shrapnel left in the muscle,” Podsiadly said.
He said the other deputy on the scene pulled him to safety before he was put into a patrol car and rushed to a local hospital.
“I just didn’t know if I was going to make it, so I made peace. That 'hey, you know this may be the last moments of my life,' that’s the way I felt,” he explained.
Minutes later, Podsiadly was loaded in a helicopter and flown to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was quickly rushed into surgery.
It’s been a long road to recovery, and Podsiadly knows how lucky he is. He said he will never forget it.
He said his biggest takeaway is not to take anything for granted.
“Really appreciate everyone and everything around you,” Podsiadly said. “I’ve become closer to God because of this.”
While he continues to heal physically, Podsiadly said the financial burden has been almost overwhelming. Since July, he said he’s only been receiving two-thirds of his paycheck due to what he described as an inadequate worker compensation plan in the state of Georgia.
At the beginning, he said his wife had to take a month off work to care for him around the clock, and she wasn’t getting paid.
He said maybe the biggest thing to come out of all of this is just how much Georgia’s worker compensation plan needs to be overhauled when it comes to supporting first responders.
RELATED: 'It's just shocking' | Quiet Henry County community rocked after mass shooter guns down 4 people
While he and many others are now working to fix the coverage, in the meantime, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office is stepping up to help Podsiadly and his wife get back on their feet financially as medical bills continue to pile up.
Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett and the Henry County Sheriff's Office are hosting a charity golf tournament where 100% of proceeds will go to Podsiadly. It’s taking place on Monday, Nov. 13, at Crystal Lake Golf & Country Club in Hampton.
The sheriff pointed out that this tournament is not just about providing financial assistance; it is an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges law enforcement officers face in the line of duty.
There are several ways you can help. If you’d like to play in the tournament, you can sign up individually or with a team here.
You can become a sponsor by clicking here.
Or, if you’d like to just make a donation to help Podsiadly, you can do so at the following link.