Henry County deputy shot by active shooter says he knows dangers of ongoing manhunt in Maine

WSBTV.com News Staff
·3 min read

A Henry County deputy who was shot by an active shooter in July is speaking for the first time about surviving the dangerous mission.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne also talked to the Henry County sheriff about what it was like to send his deputies on such a dangerous operation.

“Basically the incident at Hampton was very horrific. And after hearing the news about the incident in Maine, it really it really bothered me much worse than any previous incident just because of what i just went through,” Cpl. Daniel Podsiadly told Winne.

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Podsiadly says he knows the danger for the officers on the manhunt for a suspect in a murderous rampage in Maine.

“Don’t take anything for granted. Have your head on the swivel,” he told Winne.

On July 16th, Podsiadly was ambushed by Andre Longmore, a suspect in another rampage that ended with four murders in Hampton, Georgia.

“I was shot in the lower back, right around the waist. It shattered or broke my pelvis, fractured it I should say, and then ricocheted into my abdomen where it struck my colon twice,” the deputy said.

“When you heard one of your people had been shot, what happened in your heart?” Winne asked Sheriff Reginald Scandrett.

“I really felt like my heart stopped,” the sheriff replied.

Scandrett said he knows first hand when law enforcement executives in Maine have faced, sending officers to find a suspected deadly active shooter.

“What we want to do, first of all, is to pray, to ensure that we’re all covered. And that we raise our level of consciousness with respect to our safety and our tactical means,” the sheriff said.

Scandrett says a flaw in the system means since Podsiadly has used up his leave time because of his injury and is now on worker’s comp. He is bringing home about 40% less than his normal salary.

“Essentially, he’s being punished.”

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The corporal says he asks for continued prayers for everyone involved in the Longmore case, including the victim’s families and Clayton County police officers Michael Ruppert and Walter Pounds.

Ruppert and Pounds were wounded in a later encounter with Longmore where the suspect was shot and killed.

Podsiadly says in spite of his injures, he and his K9 partner Majki are anxious to return to work. If he could, he would go to Maine.

“I pray for the folks up in Maine. I honestly wish i could be there to help them out,” he said. “If I could get on a plane and get up there right now, I would definitely do it in a minute.”

Podsiadly said he is progressing well in his recovery and wants to thank the folks at Grady Memorial Hospital and Deputy Al Davis, a guardian angel who got him to safety.

Scandrett said there is a golf tournament on Nov. 13 with all proceeds benefitting Podsiadly and his family. More information can be found here.

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