Corporal Donald Lee Mauldin

Donald Lee Mauldin

Corporal Don Mauldin succumbed to gunshot wounds received nine years earlier while he and other deputies attempted to arrest a convicted felon.

On December 11, 1993, at 3:40 p.m., Corporal Mauldin and another deputy responded to a domestic service call at the 2800 block of South Gila Road in Apache Junction when a female reported that her husband had threatened to shoot her. Once the deputies attempted to enter the home, the subject fired at Corporal Mauldin and his partner, striking them both in the head. Responding deputies returned fire, injuring the suspect with non-life-threatening wounds.

The other deputy was transported to Scottsdale Memorial Hospital-Osborn with a minor wound. The bullet had ricocheted off his glasses, hitting him in his cheek.

Corporal Mauldin was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, where he was determined to be brain-dead, but after nine days, he woke up. He was confined to the hospital until succumbing to his injury on August 24, 2002.

The suspect, whose parole had just expired, was convicted of five counts of aggravated assault, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of endangerment, five counts of misconduct involving a weapon, and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of dangerous drugs. He was sentenced to 145 years in prison.

Corporal Mauldin had served with the Pinal County Sheriff's Department for seven years and previously served with the South Tucson Police Department and the Gila County Sheriff's Office. He is survived by his wife and two children.