A Pierce County sheriff's spokesman says a 29-year-old deputy has died less than 24 hours after undergoing
surgery for an injury he suffered in an on-duty assault last year.
Spokesman Ed Troyer called Shandon Wright's death Thursday night "a duty-related death" and said fellow officers were shocked.
About 50 off-duty deputies went to Wright's home after hearing paramedics had been called. The News Tribune says the off-duty deputies then escorted his body to the medical examiner's office.
Troyer says the deputy was home with his wife and 2-year-old daughter when he began having trouble breathing. Wright underwent surgery Wednesday for a shoulder dislocated in the assault.
The News Tribune's Stacia Glenn reports:
Wright was in physical rehabilitation for his shoulder but recently blew it out, Troyer said. He underwent surgery Wednesday. The Sheriff's Department will conduct a death investigation, said Troyer, which could include charges against the person who assaulted Wright.
Wright had been with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office for five years.
Details of the assault weren't immediately available.
