Injured Waseca officer gets approval for reconstructive surgery amid recovery process
Officer Arik Matson was injured in a shooting in Waseca, Minnesota. (Abbey Hullopeter)
WASECA, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Waseca police officer, who was shot in the head while responding to a call earlier this month, will be undergoing reconstructive surgery, according to his CaringBridge page.
On Jan. 6, Officer Arik Matson was among several officers that responded to a report of suspicious person in a residential area. When the officers arrived on scene, Tyler Janovsky shot at the officers, hitting Matson. Janovsky has since been charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection to the shooting.
Emergency crews airlifted Matson to North Memorial Medical Center, where he went into surgery. Since then, he has been recovering and undergoing physical therapy. Matson has been able to communicate with his loved ones by giving a thumbs up and even nodding, according to family updates.
In Monday morning's physical therapy session, he was able to throw a ball to his brother twice, according to his CaringBridge. After evaluating his CT scan, medical staff cleared Matson for reconstruction surgery this afternoon.
Since the shooting, the Waseca community has rallied around Matson. During warmups, the Waseca hockey team has been wearing jerseys bearing Matson's name.