MCCREARY COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Commonwealth's Attorney is planning on seeking the maximum sentence against a man accused of shooting a deputy.
"We are a zero tolerance office for use of force on officers, gunshots, any type of lethal force, so all hands on deck from here on out. We are going to prosecute the fullest and fairest amount the law will allow us to do so," Commonwealth's Attorney Ronnie Bowling told LEX 18's Eleanor Buckley.
In court on Thursday, new details were released about the night of July 16. McCreary County Sheriff's Deputy Tyler Watkins was performing a welfare check on Lick Creek Road when Kentucky State Police say he approached 48-year-old Mark Dungan. State Police say that Dungan shot Watkins, shooting once in his protective vest and then again the lower abdominal area, which caused him to need immediate medical attention. He was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he underwent two surgeries. He is still recovering.
"It's a relief, it's a miracle but it's also a testament to our law enforcement here," said Bowling. "He was aiming for blood, he shot, he pulled the trigger multiple times on high caliber pistol, it's just unacceptable and I think there is no other way you can construe that then he attempted to take his life."
Dungan's bond is set for $500,000.
