In the line of duty, Pinal County Sheriff's Corporal Donald Lee Mauldin, a 51-year-old male, responded to a domestic disturbance call on December 11, 1993, in Apache Junction, an event that would ultimately lead to his death years later. The call concerned a woman who reported that her husband, a convicted felon whose parole had just ended, was threatening to shoot her.
As Mauldin and his partner attempted to enter the residence, the suspect opened fire, striking both deputies in the head.
While his partner's wound was minor, a bullet striking his glasses and ricocheting into his cheek, Corporal Mauldin sustained a critical injury. He was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, where he was declared brain-dead. In a turn of events that astonished his family, friends, and medical professionals, Mauldin awoke nine days after the shooting. Despite this remarkable event, the severe injuries he sustained confined him to hospital care for the remainder of his life. After a prolonged battle, Donald Lee Mauldin succumbed to the gunshot wound on August 24, 2002, nearly nine years after the initial incident.
Responding deputies at the scene of the shooting returned fire, injuring the suspect with non-life-threatening wounds. The individual responsible for the shooting was subsequently apprehended and faced the judicial system. He was convicted on a multitude of charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated assault, and one count of attempted second-degree murder. For his actions, the suspect was sentenced to 145 years in prison, ensuring he would no longer be a threat to the community that Corporal Mauldin had sworn to protect.
