Lackawanna County, Pa -- For the first time since he was shot eight months ago outside the state police barracks in Pike County, Trooper Alex Douglass spoke about that horrifying night, his recovery, and his goals for the future.
Trooper Douglass said when he first arrived at the barracks, he ran inside to grab a gym bag filled with his running clothes. He planned to use them the next morning when he was going to meet a friend after his shift.
Alex: “When I was putting the bag in my car, I heard what actually sounded like fireworks going off. There’s actually a gentleman who sells fireworks a little ways down from our station, so it wouldn’t be unusual. That’s maybe where it was coming from, but it sounded like two loud noises going off at once.”
Not knowing exactly what those loud noises were, the nearly 10-year state police veteran walked back toward the barracks to try to find out. As he neared the front entrance he saw another trooper on the ground.
Alex: “When I got closer to him, I noticed it was Corporal Dickson.”
Trooper Douglass says he immediately started yelling to people inside to call for help. And then…
Alex: “As I walked over to Corporal Dickson to see what the issue was, that’s when I got shot. I went down to my knees. Luckily, I was by the front doors and was able to crawl into the station. At that point, I knew someone was shooting at us. I crawled on my arms, dragged my legs, and I couldn’t feel my legs at the time.”
Read more: WNEP