MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — It's been a week since a sheriff's deputy was shot in the line of duty in Morgan County.
Investigators say a 15-year-old shot Morgan County Sheriff's Deputy Mallory Schwab in the shoulder when she went to his house for a welfare check.
SWAT officers later found his body in a bedroom. No weapons were fired by law enforcement that day.
As Indiana State Police continue to investigate the shooting, we're hearing from Schwab for the first time.
She talked exclusively with 13News reporter Jennie Runevitch about her injury, recovery and gratitude to the community.
Schwab has made the walk into work at the Morgan County Sheriff's Office almost every day since joining the department a month ago.
But now, she said just being here is a blessing.
Schwab's career protecting the public easily could have ended when law enforcement risk collided with reality last week.
"Like for the worst scenario, I got extremely lucky," Schwab said.
While responding to a welfare check for a teenager in crisis, investigators say a gunshot from inside the home on Beech Grove Road hit Schwab and sent her to the ground.
"It felt like something, like a rock got thrown at my shoulder," Schwab said. "That's what it felt like at first, and then, I quickly realized that it was not a rock, it was actually a shot."
Schwab can't talk about the specifics of the shooting investigation, but here's what she did share about that day and the fact that a young life also ended.
"It was a sad situation in the end. It's not the outcome everybody wanted, but you just can only pray for their family," Schwab said. "My training kicked in, and I believe we did the right thing at the time, and that's what will stick in my mind."
She said after the gunfire, things moved fast.
"All the deputies, it was, 'Get cover, and get me out of there.' It all just kicked in, and we did what we had to in that chaos," she said.
On the 40-minute ambulance ride to IU Health Methodist Hospital, she was able to call her parents and let them hear her voice.
"I just said I was OK, and that I'll see you guys in a little bit, but just know that, yes it's a bad situation, but I'm OK," Schwab said.
That's also when she started to marvel at the massive support from Morgan County law enforcement.
Schwab has spent her whole life here. She served for years with Martinsville Police prior to joining the sheriff's department.
"At one point, I looked out the back window and saw 10-12 police cars behind us and having the escort, pretty sure I saw some exit ramps shut down, and they had pretty much the whole interstate shut down, it felt like," Schwab said.
In the hospital, doctors discovered the bullet went straight through her shoulder. Just hours after getting shot in the line of duty, she was able to go home.
A brace limits motion in her right arm (Schwab is right-handed). She said doctors will make a decision on surgery next month.
"It broke my shoulder, not only just the (bullet) wounds, but I'm dealing with a broken shoulder right here," Schwab said.
Over the past week, community support has been helping her heal — from strangers to schoolkids sending her cards.
"It's not, 'What have they done?'" Schwab said. "What haven't they done? Everybody has reached out, even people that I don't know. Schools keep sending me cards. I've got a stack at home that I read all the time, so it's great. I'm very grateful for everything."
And despite the danger that threatened her life, the knowledge that risk is still part of the job, Schwab wants to be back on duty soon.
She's been an Army reservist for 12 years in addition to her time as a police officer and deputy. She said there's no other job she'd rather do than protect the public.
"Yes, we have risk in this job," Schwab said. "But also, there's other people that need us and need us to be there for them, and I'll continue as much as I can. I'm ready to get back out there."
Schwab doesn't have a specific return date yet, but this Friday, she'll receive a donation from a charity that helps first responders.
Running 4 Heroes is donating $2,000 both to Schwab and to Indiana State Police Trooper Azariah Keith, who was seriously injured when a suspected drunk driver crashed into him as he helped a stranded motorist.