Levelland Sgt. Shawn Wilson awarded $10,000 grant
Sgt. Wilson was shot during a SWAT standoff in July 2021
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Sergeant Shawn Wilson from the Levelland Police Department was awarded a $10,000 grant from Running 4 Heroes on Saturday. The organization honors all first responders nationwide that have been killed or wounded in the line of duty.
“Extremely blessed, you know, I wasn’t expecting this at all,” Sgt. Wilson said. “They called me out of the blue and told me that I got the award. Shocked me, it really did.”
The founder of Running 4 Heroes, Zechariah Cartledge, started giving grants two years ago. He says he loves travelling to meet these officers, and their families.
“These stories of these people that I’ve been able to meet over the past two years have been really inspiring to me,” Cartledge said. “I love giving back to people, especially people who deserve it.”
Cartledge says Sgt. Wilson is someone who deserves this $10,000 check.
Sgt. Wilson was shot in the back of the head in a standoff in July of 2021.
PREVIOUS STORY: Deadly standoff ends in Levelland, suspect in custody with injuries
Sgt. Wilson says since then he’s received nothing but support.
“You hear about people getting hurt like this and you just kind of, they tend to have a tendency to fall back and get reclusive and stuff, but for me it’s been nothing but love from the community, everybody’s been real supportive of me and my family,” Sgt. Wilson said.
He says that support started the moment it happened, from his brothers and sisters in uniform.
“I fully expected people to take cover, you know, save themselves, but I didn’t. Instead, I had a bunch of heroes that day that, the leaders in our department, that stayed there with me,” Sgt. Wilson said.
He says he looked up and saw his captain, chief, a sheriff, and SWAT personnel there with him. Now, he’s receiving support from across the nation.
“Zechariah’s out there and he’s not just talking about it, but he’s actually running several times a week, and then the fact that they’re supporting us financially, it’s huge,” Sgt. Wilson said.
Cartledge started Running 4 Heroes when he was 9 years old. He runs a mile for every fallen firefighter and officer, including Sgt. Joshua Bartlett, who was killed in the same standoff where Sgt. Wilson was shot. Now at 13, Cartledge awards grants to those injured in the line of duty.
“Getting to see the smile on their face, and getting to see how much they appreciate it means a lot to me; knowing that at a young age I’ve been able to help out lots of people at a time when they need it most,” Cartledge said.
After a year and three surgeries later, Sgt. Wilson plans to return to work.
“It makes you want to come back to work. You had the servant’s heart from the beginning before this happened, and for the amount of support that we’ve gotten, it encourages you to go back out there and keep giving as much as you can,” Sgt. Wilson said.
Sgt. Wilson says hopefully he is done with surgeries.
For more information on Running 4 Heroes, click here.
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