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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson records encouraging video for wounded deputy
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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson records encouraging video for wounded deputy

Actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently filmed a heartwarming video for a wounded deputy who lost a colleague in a deadly Colorado shooting in late December.

What was in the video?

Johnson, 45, recorded the video message for Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Pelle, who was injured in the Highlands Ranch shooting, which killed fellow officer Zackari Parrish, and injured several other law enforcement officers.

Pelle received the video message and shared it to social media on Thursday, captioning it, "Thank you @TheRock you made my day! I am a giant fan and want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this!!"

KDVR-TV reported that Pelle explained his fellow deputies reached out to the entertainer "because of what a big fan of him I am!"

"And he answered!" Pelle said. "Made my day."

Johnson in the video can be seen addressing the camera directly, where he sent his well wishes to Pelle.

"I wanted to wish you well, I wanted to wish you well in your recovery," Johnson said. "I've been tracking your story. I heard about the scenario you went through. I’m sorry about your loss. I believe you lost a brother with the loss of Parrish."

"I wanted to say I wish you the best on your recovery," he added. "I hear you're a big fan of mine, which I really, really appreciate. I hear you’re finally home which is awesome. And you're gonna be up and at 'em in no time."

Johnson later added that "setbacks are just a setup for an even bigger comeback."

(Content warning: rough language):

What's the history?

Law enforcement officials in Highlands Ranch responded to a New Year's Eve domestic violence call that ended in a deadly shootout leaving six people — including four deputies — injured.

Officer Parrish was killed in the attack.

Police initially responded to an apartment early Sunday morning after a noise disturbance call. The officers left the scene after discovering there was no noise after arriving.

Police returned to the apartment a second time about two hours later after a report of domestic disturbance.

The suspect, 37-year-old Matthew Riehl, reportedly barricaded himself inside his apartment, and allegedly began firing on deputies as they approached the apartment.

Riehl, who had a history of disturbing online behavior and was known by police, was shot and killed on the scene.

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Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor

Sarah is a former staff writer for TheBlaze, and a former managing editor and producer at TMZ. She resides in Delaware with her family. You can reach her via Twitter at @thesarahdtaylor.

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