Matson family to receive wheelchair-accessible vehicle, check from fundraiser
After months of physical therapy stemming from a shooting that happened in January, Waseca Police Officer Arik Matson returned home on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020.[Eric Chaloux/KSTP]
Wednesday, the family of a Waseca police officer recovering after being shot in the head is set to receive a check from a GoFundMe fundraiser as well as a new, wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) held the fundraiser for Arik Matson and his family and partnered with Dave Syverson Ford Lincoln in Albert Lea for the vehicle.
In January, officers, including Matson, encountered a man who fired a shot that struck Matson in the head, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In the months that followed, Matson underwent reconstruction surgery as well as physical and speech therapy.
Last month, the Waseca community held a welcome-home parade for Matson, which his family also attended. Matson’s wife, Megan, thanked her husband’s supporters as well as the medical professionals who have taken care of him this past year.
Wife thanks community after Waseca officer Arik Matson returns home
The MPPOA said it set up the GoFundMe campaign to assist the Matson family, "to raise funds directly for a vehicle to accomodate his wheelchair and their family of four." The campaign raised nearly $50,000 in just four days. It is now over $65,000.