Minnesota man charged with attempted murder in shooting that critically wounded officer

Tyler Janovsky from Minnesota was charged with three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person on Wednesday, after he allegedly shot Waseca police officer Arik Matson in the head.

Matson, 32, was responding to reports of a suspicious person on Monday when Janovsky, 37, reportedly opened fire on him and the other officers he was with. After Matson was hit, Sgt. Timothy Schroeder returned fire and wounded Janovsky, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Matson was then airlifted to North Memorial Hospital and remains in critical but stable condition, Fox 9 reported.

Police said Janovsky, who has reportedly been wanted for running a methamphetamine lab and possessing illegal firearms, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Pastor Kaleb Hurley visited Matson on Wednesday and provided an update on his recovery. Hurley spoke on behalf of Matson's family and said his surgery had been "very successful."

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This undated handout photo provided by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, shows Waseca, Minn. Police Officer Arik Matson. Matson was shot in the head Monday night, Jan. 6, 2020 while responding to a report of a suspicious person in the small southern Minnesota city of in Waseca. Matson, 32, was in critical but stable condition Tuesday. (Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension via AP)

"With every hour up to this point, Arik’s condition has been getting better and he’s better than what the doctors thought that he would be or what they anticipated," Hurley said in a Facebook video message, after quoting biblical verse on the power of prayer.

The pastor created a Facebook events page for a "community night of prayer" for Matson and his family on Thursday between 6 and 8 p.m.

"As many of you know, Officer Arik Matson of the Waseca Police Department was injured in the line of duty on Monday night, January 6th. We have already seen an outpouring of support from our community, which the family is so grateful for," the event page read.

"One of the biggest ways we can continue to support them is through prayer," it added. "We would like to invite the entire community from Albert Lea to Waseca and beyond to join gather together this Thursday evening from 6pm-8pm to lift up Arik and his family."

Hurley also created a GoFundMe page to help Matson's wife and two children with medical expenses and basic necessities. The page has raised nearly $120,000 as of Wednesday evening, with a goal of $250,000.

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Matson, who is still facing a long road to recovery, has served as a police officer since 2013. He has also served as a SWAT team member, a city councilman and volunteer firefighter, according to CBS 4 in Minnesota.

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