Pueblo man paralyzed in hospital after being stabbed multiple times, according to family
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - A 27-year-old man is on life support at a hospital in Colorado Springs, according to his family, after he was shot, stabbed, and left for dead on the side of a highway on Tuesday night.
Hank Wallace was discovered by a passerby on Highway 96 east of Pueblo with injuries so severe that authorities initially believed they were responding to a car crash victim.
Wallace has since undergone four surgeries and remains in critical condition as detectives with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office investigate the assault, according to his family. Authorities confirmed the victim had been shot and stabbed multiple times before he was found on the roadside.
Wallace's sister-in-law, Catherine LaDuke, described the extent of the attack after arriving at the hospital.
“He was stabbed a total of 12 times. The bullet did go through and caused some spinal damage,” LaDuke said. “So we're not sure if it's going to be permanent paralysis or part, you know.”
Despite the severity of the wounds, the family remains hopeful as Wallace continues to receive medical care.
“He's hanging in there. He's fighting,” his brother, Richard LaDuke, said.
Richard noted that he rushed to the hospital in his pajamas immediately after being notified of the incident. He explained that Wallace had been attempting to change his life following previous legal issues.
“He's had his problems in the past and all that. He's been trying to work to get himself straight and just hearing something like this. It's just kind of a shock,” Richard LaDuke said.
The family is now asking for community assistance to help identify those responsible for the assault.
“The biggest, hardest thing to understand is we don't know why did this had to happen? Who did it? That's what we really want. We want somebody to come forward,” Catherine LaDuke said.
Those who would like to support Wallace's family to help with medical bills and the cost of hotels, meals, and gas, can visit their GoFundMe.
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about the incident, or who may have seen suspicious activity near Highway 96 last Tuesday night, to contact their office immediately.
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