[Sid 6.7]

I wanted everyone to know about someone I know who is in a serious fight for life. Deric Hoffman is in intensive care after sustaining an unbelievable total of 16 seperate holes from being shot with a 9mm handgun.

Here is the story from the Commercial Appeal:

Police Report: Boy calls police to shooting site in East Memphis : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal

Police Report: Boy calls police to shooting site in East Memphis

By Staff Reports

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Two people were shot to death and a third person was critically injured during a domestic incident in East Memphis early Tuesday.

Police got two calls about 1 a.m. from the Lynnfield Square apartments at 1429 Sycamore Bend.

The first call was about a prowler; the second came from an 11-year-old boy.

When officers arrived, the boy and Deric Hoffman, 22, who'd been wounded several times, ran out of the apartment, police said.

Hoffman was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition. The boy wasn't hurt.

Another man in the apartment refused to open the door and wanted to talk with a negotiator.

The Memphis Police TACT team entered the apartment and found a 39-year-old woman who died at the scene, police said. The man, who was 46 years old, was taken to The Med, where he died. Investigators had not released their names late Tuesday.

Police director Larry Godwin said Hoffman had enrolled in the department's training academy but was released in August 2006 for failure to complete the physical training portion.

Deric used his body as a human shield to save this 11 year old boy from certain death at the hands of a crazed ex-boyfriend intent on killing him after brutally executing his mother.

Deric literally carried the boy, running out of the apartment, the entire time being shot repeatedly. Deric was struck by as many as 13 or 14 rounds, and yet was fighting his way to get to his truck, and to his personal firearm, in order to stop the ex-boyfriend. He collapsed before making it to the truck. He has a CCW permit and works for the city as a Memphis Housing Authority Police Officer.

He has already had multiple surgeries and will require many more. He had a couple fingers shot off, multiple rounds to the abdomen, two rounds to the groin that caused major damage, rounds to the shoulder, neck and back, and yet still walked to the ambulance when it arrived.

Although not a full Memphis Police Officer, this hero had a 30 car escort to the trauma center downtown, the entire route blocked off by officers who had exited their patrol cars and held their hands over their badges as a sign of respect and hope for his recovery.

If you have the desire, a donation account has been opened to help pay for the cost of Deric's recovery,since he has no medical insurance.

You can donate through Paypal to the email address DonationsForDeric@Gmail.com

Or click this link: