Man sentenced to 35 years in jail for shooting Waseca officer Arik Matson in head
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The man charged with shooting Waseca police officer Arik Matson in the head was sentenced on Friday.
According to KSTP Reporter Eric Chaloux, Tyler Janovsky was sentenced to 35 years (420 months) in jail for shooting Matson. Janovsky had pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer.
Updated: Judge sentenced Tyler Janovsky to 240 months for shooting Waseca Officer Arik Matson, and the second charge of 180 months, to run consecutively.
— Eric Chaloux (@EricChalouxKSTP) November 6, 2020
Sentencing set for man convicted of shooting Waseca officer Arik Matson in head
The incident happened in January; the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported four officers responded to the 900 block of Third Avenue Southeast after receiving a suspicious person report. Upon arrival, officers encountered a man who fired a shot that struck Matson in the head, according to the BCA. Officers then returned fire.
In the months that followed, Matson underwent reconstruction surgery as well as physical and speech therapy.
The sentencing is less than a month after Matson was able to return home. Last month, the Waseca community held a welcome-home parade for Matson, which his family also attended.
Arik Matson and his wife, Megan, after Tyler Janovsky's sentencing on Nov. 6, 2020.[KSTP/Eric Chaloux]
PHOTOS: Waseca Police Officer Arik Matson returns home
Friday, while wearing his Waseca Police Department badge around his neck, Matson was helped to the podium by his wife, Megan, at Janovsky’s hearing.
"While I would have never imagined this pain or injury on anyone, I would still respond to that call if it were tomorrow," Matson said.
Janovsky also briefly addressed the judge before his sentencing, saying, "I hope and pray Officer Matson recovers fully."
During the hearing, Matson told the court about the many painful months spent alone, away from his family at rehabilitation centers, due to COVID-19.
"I had so much stolen from me this year, from my daughter’s eighth birthday, to celebrating Father’s Day and other special events … my wife and daughters lost out on so much else as well," Matson said.
"While Arik gets stronger and more capable every day, as a mother, I just long for him to be able to throw a ball to his children and play like a dad should play with their kids," Megan Matson said.
Matson also told the judge about life after the hearing.
"From this day forward, I chose to live life to the fullest, God’s plan, and never take anything for granted," he said.
After the hearing, the Matson family spoke and thanked the community for their support over the past 10 months, including putting up their blue lights on their front porches.