Ross County deputy shot in the line of duty honored
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Ross County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot on the job last year was honored by the Ohio Attorney General Wednesday.
“After everything, to be where I am now and to still be here and progressing health-wise and in my mental health, it’s been quite a journey,” Ross County Sgt. Eric Kocheran said at the attorney general’s Law Enforcement Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday in Columbus.
Kocheran said he’s a living miracle. He is back on the job and wants to make it home safely each day to his family.
In November 2022, one encounter at the Ross County Sheriff’s Office nearly changed that. In security footage released by the sheriff’s office, a man walks up to the door of the building, knocks, and waits, where Kocheran meets him. The man then pulls a gun and fires at Kocheran, hitting him. Kocheran is able to return fire and kills the man.
Kocheran was honored with the Attorney General’s Valor Award during the awards ceremony portion of the two-day conference.
After undergoing several surgeries and taking time to rest, Kocheran said it is the support of his family and community that keeps him going.
“I am a husband. I am a father. I am a stepfather. I’m a grandfather,” he said. “So when I go home and take this uniform off, I’m in a different role. I wear a different hat. The big thing is that there are bad apples out there in every career, but those of us that do it for the right reasons and go home at the end of the shift, that’s the greatest thing that you can do.”
Kocheran is working to start a new foundation called Kocheran Strong Foundation, with the hope of bettering the mental health of first responders.