news-record.com

Winston-Salem Police Sgt. Mickey Hutchens, who was shot last week after answering a domestic call, has died.

Hutchens 50, was a 27-year veteran.

He and another officer were shot when responding to an incident involving a 35-year-old man and his former wife.

Monte Denard Evans, 35, of Winston-Salem, after Evans had confronted his ex-wife at a Bojangles restaurant.

As Evans fled from the two officers, he opened fire on then, wounding both. The officers returned fire, killing Evans.

The police officers I know have told me that, for all of the obvious hazards of the profession, the scariest and most dangerous calls are the domestic ones.

You never know what to expect in those cases, they say. For instance, the person who called for police can turn out to be an assailant.

Even when the outcome isn’t fatal, it can be costly to officers.

In 2001, a man slashed a Guilford County sheriff’s deputy’s face with a box cutter during a domestic disturbance call in Greensboro. A Greensboro police officer shot and wounded the man.

Here is yet another reason why I don’t envy the stresses law officers face, and why I appreciate what they do, for little pay and too often, even less thanks.