Waseca welcomes back police officer recovering from shooting
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By Kristine Goodrich, Mankato Free Press
Ray and Joyce Langerud waited outside the Waseca Public Safety Center Monday morning to get the first in-person glimpse of their grandson in months.
The grandparents of Waseca police officer Arik Matson were joined by hundreds of people who lined sidewalks to support the recovering officer who returned home for the first time since being critically wounded more than 10 months ago.
The Langeruds got to see their grandson walk, with a little assistance, into the police station.
“We hope every day he'll get a little stronger,” Ray Langerud said. “We're there for him whenever he needs.”
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Matson, 33, was shot in the head Jan. 6 while responding with other officers to a suspicious person report. He had multiple surgeries and spent the last several months in a Nebraska rehabilitation facility. He will continue to receive therapy in Minnesota.
Tyler Robert Janovsky, 38, who was wanted on drug charges, pleaded guilty to the shooting. He is to be sentenced Nov. 6 and is expected to get 35 years in prison.
Matson's maternal grandparents hoped to give him a hug after he arrives at his home in Freeborn on Monday afternoon. But they came from Albert Lea to also see him in Waseca because they wanted to witness the show of support firsthand.
“Everybody has been so great to him and we're so thankful,” Ray Langerud said.
Law enforcement officers and other first responders were waiting as Matson arrived at the Waseca Municipal Airport and led a parade down State Street to a small celebration inside the police station.
Carrying a “welcome home” sign he made himself, John Hollen, of Waseca, was among the many people who have never met Matson but waited outside under flurries to give a thank-you wave as the parade came by.
“I'm here to show support for local law enforcement and to show condolences to an officer who was hurt in the line of duty,” he said.
Officers line up to greet Waseca police officer Arik Matson as he returns home to a parade Monday in Waseca. Matson returned to southern Minnesota to continue recovering from a gunshot wound to the head he received while responding with other officers to a suspicious person report.
Another welcome home drive-by celebration is being planned for 2 p.m. Saturday in Edgewater Park in Matson's hometown of Albert Lea.
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