The McCreary County deputy shot by a Pulaski County man while responding to a domestic disturbance is improving.
Tuesday night at 8:00, the deputy, 28-year-old Dustin Watkins, of Stearns, responded to a domestic dispute. Upon arriving at the scene, Watkins was shot by 48-year-old Mark Dungan, of Science Hill, as Dungan sat in a car outside a residence. As Dungan fled the scene, he crashed into Constable Cody Stephens as he arrived to assist Watkins.
Police located Dungan in a cemetery soon after the shooting and arrested the suspect.
Watkins was airlifted to University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition. He underwent surgery and is now listed in stable condition. Stephens was not injured.
Dungan faces a slew of charges, including attempted murder of a police officer, and is lodged in the Leslie County Detention Center.
(Photo: Constable Cody Stephens (l) and Deputy Dustin Watkins giving the thumbs-up sign from Watkins’ hospital room, courtesy of the McCreary County Sheriff’s Office)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
