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'A very dedicated officer': Comal County deputy embarks on long road to recovery after Thursday shooting

A helicopter airlifted the deputy to a local hospital, where he has already undergone three surgeries.

COMAL COUNTY, Texas — To listen to the police radio broadcast of Thursday’s shooting in the Spring Branch area is to hear the sounds of a desperate fight to save a life.

Comal County deputies who had gone to a home in the 1400 block of Springwood during the noon hour said they were met with gunfire.

When longtime Deputy Eddy Luna was shot in the arm, an emergency tone was activated and Luna’s partner described a frantic effort to deal with a terrible injury.

The radio transmission included “343 has been shot! I applied a tourniquet at 12:35 hours. He is bleeding. He has lost a lot of blood. He has significant damage to his arm.”

Moments later, Luna’s partner messaged that he had one person on the ground, at gunpoint, and that he needed more help to secure the scene.

While backup officers arrived, an AirLIFE helicopter was called to race Luna to the hospital.

A Comal County Sheriff's Office spokesman said the deputies were at the isolated rural home to serve a felony warrant for evading arrest with a motor vehicle on 59-year-old Brian Scott Sharp.

In addition to the original case, they said Sharp is now also facing two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant.

His bonds on all three charges total $258,000.

Credit: Comal County

At midday Friday, the sheriff posted the following update to social media:

“Deputy Luna is currently undergoing his 3rd surgery, and it is our understanding that there will be more. We want to thank everyone for your prayers and please continue to pray for him and his family…He started his career with the Comal County Sheriff’s Office in September of 1991 as a Corrections Officer. Since then, he has served as a Patrol Deputy, a Detective in the Criminal Investigations Division and is currently working as a Warrants Deputy. Please keep him, his family, friends, our agency, and law enforcement in your prayers.”

Speaking about his longtime friend, Cibolo Police Chief Bryan Hugghins said Luna, along with many members of his family, having been serving the people of Comal County for decades.

“It’s not just Eddy that’s in this business. His whole family is dedicated to serving the community," Hugghins said. "His siblings work for the sheriff’s office as well and his entire family is there for this community and has been for decades. And I think this is a great time to show we’re there for him.”

Hugghins called his friend an open-hearted person who has always drawn people to him with his love of music.

“Eddy Luna is a very dedicated aficionado of what I would call heavy metal music. He has always loved rock and roll. He would often have concerts and get-togethers and he would try to bring people together with what he likes,” Hugghins said.

Hugghins said he believes Luna will use that same strength of character to overcome this life-changing injury.

“I’ve known him for 27 years. He’s a really good law enforcement officer and an even better human being,” Hugghins said.

Hugghins said during his career, Luna has exceeded in every role.

“He’s a very dedicated employee, a very dedicated officer and one of those people you want with you when times get tough."

Hugghins said seeing a good man go down is hard on the entire law enforcement community.

“When you see a brother or sister in uniform, it doesn’t matter what color the uniform is because it hurts all of us because we’re all out there to serve. We’re all out there to do our best and give to the community,” Hugghins said.

Hugghins had high praise for the citizens of Comal County, adding that he knows the Luna family will find support during the long road to recovery.

“Eddy’s tough," he said. "He’s resilient and we’re going to be there for him to make sure he gets the support and service that he needs."

A GoFundMe page was created by family members to raise money to help cover medical expenses. Click here to donate to help with expenses.

RELATED: Comal County deputy may lose arm after being shot while serving felony warrant

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