WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – A police officer who was shot in the head in Warren County last week is recovering after his family said the bullet had “passed through his face”.
Clearkcreek Town Police Officer Eric Ney respond to calls for domestic violence on July 12. At the scene, a man then determined like Mark Evers, 65, shot Ney before another responder shot and killed Evers, police said.
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Lisa Ruman is Ney’s younger sister. Ruman spoke to FOX19 Wednesday night, eight days after the shooting left her brother hospitalized in Miami Valley.
“Tuesday, July 12, I got a call… It was my niece,” she said. “I knew something was wrong. She said he was shot in the face, so all I could think was, ‘Oh my god, his face… the brain. his.’
Law enforcement sources said minutes after Ney was transported by medical helicopter that he was breathing on his own. Lieutenant Wallace Stacy of the Clearcreek Township Police Department later described Ney as in critical but stable condition.
“I thought, ‘A shot in the face? No way…” Ruman recalled. “But I have strong faith — and so does he. Our family has. We have so many people praying for us — praying for him. “
For their part, the family’s prayers were answered the day after the shooting when doctors revealed the extent of Ney’s injuries.
“I feel so much better seeing him on Wednesday,” Ruman said. “His face is no longer wrapped, and he looks a lot better than I expected.”
The bullet went below Ney’s right eye. It “passed through his face,” explains Ruman, “and then came out above his left ear.”
She continued: “His face looks amazing compared to what he’s been through. He has black and blue eyes. They’re not sure about reconstructive surgery right now. They can’t see anything but the sinuses. He may have vision loss in his left eye and possibly hearing loss in his left ear.”
Ney has been in the Miami Valley since the shooting happened. On Thursday, he moved to a rehab facility.
His family says he might not have gotten this far, so quickly, without the support of his uniformed siblings.
“I know the police are tight-lipped in the police community,” said Ruman, “but I didn’t know how much until last week.”
Ruman recalls looking at social media a few days after the shooting. “That’s a huge amount of support, not just from the community, but from the country.”
Ney has a long road ahead of him, but his family believes he will get there.
“He will do whatever he has to do to get better and get back to work,” says Ruman, “getting back to his life.”
Hidden Valley Orchard announced that they will be hosting a benefit for Ney and his family July 20-24 from 3-10 p.m. They also set up a link to donate to his recovery in rehab.
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