LA GRANGE, Texas — Fayette County Deputy Calvin Lehmann said his shift was ending when he heard a call for help over his radio from another officer.
"A few minutes after that, everything went south, I guess you could say," said Lehmann.
Lehmann took a shotgun blast to the face, losing one eye and seriously injuring the other.
"It was almost instantaneously, so I knew I got hit," said Lehmann. "Which spun me around, and then it just basically sounded like World War III went off."
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Lehmann said he was concerned about the other officers.
"'Cause, once I got hit, there was a lot of gunfire going on," said Lehmann. "It was one of the things that, you really don't worry about yourself, you worry about everyone else that's around you."
On Thursday, more than two weeks after the shooting, he’s still thinking about others.
"It means a lot to me, and my whole family," Lehmann said of the support from first responders and the community. “It's still coming. It's not just like one of the fads that come and go … it's just amazing."
Lehmann kept that same positive attitude throughout the interview. His girlfriend says it’s helped the family get through this time.
"It's something that happens. You can't change what happens," said Lehmann. "You learn to live with it and go on. Don't let it get you down."
Lehmann said he has another checkup with doctors regarding his right eye in a few weeks. He said he hopes he’ll get an update on if he’ll be able to see again. As of Thursday, Lehman said he can't really see anything, "just light, sometimes."
"If I get perfect eyesight back, I probably won’t be able to get back on the streets, even though I’ll try to. But, like I said, it is what it is, I’ll finagle something," Lehmann said, laughing. "I’m a patrol deputy, that’s what I like doing. I like going out, interacting with the public."