KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knox County deputy who was critically injured while on-duty during an incident that was captured in a live TV filming has undergone surgery, his girlfriend said Friday.
Stephania Pumphrey wrote on social media that Dalton Swanger has undergone a cricotracheal resection procedure, which involves cutting out the part of the trachea and reattaching the remaining sections. “We are so hopeful that now, six months after he got hit, he will finally be able to begin healing,” she said.
Swanger was hit by in the head by a rock while sheriff’s deputies to a report of “shots fired” in Powell last June. He was in a coma and hospitalized for two weeks after the injury. The incident was caught on video during the show “On Patrol: Live.”
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Christopher Michael Hensley, 45, faces attempted murder, aggravated assault and several other charges in the case. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 20 for a status hearing…