On September 16, 2016, Deputy Darin Carter with the Taney County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a home in Hollister, Missouri, in pursuit of a potential arrest. The authorities were in search of a suspect vehicle linked to a previous chase in Branson the day before.
Carter identified the vehicle and opted to wait for backup from an additional deputy and a highway Patrol Trooper before approaching the residence. Although the occupants initially declined to answer the door, the situation quickly took a turn for the worse.
"The door swung open, and there was a male standing there with a handgun pointed at my chest," Carter recalled.
After failing to obey officers’ commands to put it away, the man opened fire, narrowly missing Carter. However, during the ensuing exchange of gunfire, Carter unintentionally sustained a shoulder injury from friendly fire before the shooter was ultimately killed as the officers returned fire.
"You don't want anybody to get hurt at all. That's not what we're there for. We're not there to hurt people," Carter said.
While the shooting was ruled justified, Carter revealed ongoing nightmares. The bullet, shattering within his shoulder, caused persistent pain that led to a journey through physical therapy.
After prayer and considerable discussions with doctors and family, Carter made the decision to medically retire from the Taney County Missouri Sheriff’s Office in 2018.