Robbers ambush, shoot off-duty Oklahoma County sheriff's major

“He's a strong individual. He won't let this get him down. Not at all. It's going to be a long road, but he will persevere, and I will be there right with him every step of the way,” she said.

“It's just been a big shock. Once you finally get here and see the condition that he's in, I think it really just hits home,” son Jason Waldenville said.

“You always see it on the news, and you feel bad for that person and their family, but you just don't ever really think it's going to hit home,” he said.

Oklahoma County Treasurer Butch Freeman said he received the news shortly after the shooting and helped spread news to other county employees early Saturday.

“We're still numb. We really, truly are. With each bit of news we're getting, we're a little more encouraged, but he's still got a long path ahead of him,” Freeman said.

“He is a very well-respected part of the Oklahoma County community. There is no better loved employee in Oklahoma County than John Waldenville,” he said.

“There's some anger in there, as well, make no mistake about it. What a cowardly thing to do,” Freeman said.

Whetsel said that in addition to the local law officers and government employees that called John Waldenville a friend, he also had received numerous phone calls from those he'd met across the country.

“He's got the Waldenville family and the sheriff's office family,” Whetsel said.

Contributing: Staff Writer Michael Kimball