Podcast Summary:

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Episode: TN DEPUTY COMA, VENTILATOR AFTER BRUTAL ATTACK
Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

This harrowing episode centers on the brutal on-duty attack of Tennessee Deputy Dalton Swanger, who was left in a coma and on a ventilator after being ambushed with a rock while responding to a shots fired/domestic violence call. Nancy Grace explores the events of that night, the medical ordeal that ensued, and the emotional aftermath for Deputy Swanger, his fiancée Stefania Pumphrey, and his partner Deputy Matthew Kirchner. The episode also addresses the broader risks law enforcement officers face daily and highlights the resilience, vulnerability, and heroism within these stories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident: Night of the Attack

• Call for Help (00:30-01:02):

  • Deputy Swanger and partner Deputy Kirchner answer a late-night shots fired call involving a domestic dispute.
  • Camera crews from “On Patrol Live” document their arrival, greeted by a distressed woman.

• Ambush in the Woods (01:30-03:09):

  • Suspect hides in the darkness, taunts deputies, throws rocks, and claims to be armed.
  • Swanger moves into the woods despite danger.
  • He is struck on the head with a rock or brick and immediately incapacitated.

  “Imagine what it takes day in, day out to go into a darkened area where you think someone is in there armed... you do your duty. And that's what he did.” — Nancy Grace (02:41)

2. Medical Aftermath and Miracle Survival

• Immediate Response (03:36-07:25):

  • Deputy Swanger tries to stand but cannot, is dragged from the woods by fellow officers.
  • Suffering from a depressed skull fracture, Swanger initially speaks but quickly deteriorates: “That bleeding in his brain wasn’t severe enough that it was affecting him. But as... the bleeding started getting bigger, and then he started seizing and went into a coma.” — Dr. Kendall Krantz (04:33)

• Medical Details (07:25-08:11, 17:47, 20:48, 36:36):

  • The rock caused hemorrhaging and swelling, leading to seizures and coma.
  • Swanger required intubation and life support due to seizure complications and loss of breathing function.
  • Prolonged intubation led to tracheal stenosis, necessitating complex future surgery.

  “A ventilator is a machine that basically breathes for you... They place a tube down your throat that goes into your trachea and then forces oxygen in, keeping your body full of oxygen, essentially keeping you alive.” — Dr. Kendall Krantz (17:47)

3. Personal Trauma and Family Perspective

• Fiancée’s Experience (16:51-18:28):

  • Stefania Pumphrey witnessed Swanger's attack live on television, called him in the ambulance, and then rushed to the hospital where she learned of his critical condition.
  • Describes the shock and agony of seeing her fiancé unresponsive in the ICU, clinging to hope.

  “He was covered in blood still, and he just didn't look like himself. You know, I had just seen him. I had just kissed him goodbye... The trembling from the end of the seizure was, I think, the worst part for it.” — Stefania Pumphrey (22:25)

• Coma Experience (25:21-27:01):

  • Swanger recounts being able to hear voices while in a coma but being unable to respond—a “prison in your own head.”
  • Emotional interplay between supportive words and the internal desperation not to leave loved ones.

  “You just want to scream back at them like, 'I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving, I'm not going to die,' but you can't... It was a horrific thing when the people you love are telling you goodbye and you want to comfort them, but you can't.” — Deputy Dalton Swanger (27:01)

4. Deputy Matthew Kirchner: A Partner’s Account and New Struggles

• First-Hand Perspective (14:00):

  • Kirchner was also hit by rocks but was able to evacuate Swanger despite his own injury.
  • Emotional struggle at having to leave his incapacitated best friend with others in order to secure the scene.

  “Getting him out of there was my number one thing. And the hardest part for me... after we drug him out and I had to leave him with a fellow deputy instead of tending to him... it really killed me seeing him like that.” — Deputy Matthew Kirchner (29:23)

• Kirchner’s Ongoing Ordeal (41:11-42:40):

  • Kirchner later suffered a shattered ankle in a separate incident, facing amputation after three unsuccessful surgeries.

  “It's an emotional roller coaster. I am trying to imagine life without a foot... My pain is unbearable every single day... but I'm very sad that I'm losing my foot.” — Deputy Matthew Kirchner (42:04)

5. Complex Surgical Recovery and Future Uncertainties

• Surgical Challenges for Swanger (35:59-40:07):

  • Multiple unsuccessful surgeries for tracheal stenosis.
  • Upcoming high-risk surgery may threaten his ability to speak, as damage is close to vocal cords.

  “He's a pretty unique case... his were lasting maybe a week where he could breathe slightly easier and then he would just feel like he was suffocating again and it would close up further.” — Stefania Pumphrey (40:07)

• Both Deputies on Moving Forward (43:58-44:35):

  • Swanger: Faith and resilience, “I'll crawl out from underneath it, do whatever it takes to get back to having the badge on the chest.”
  • Kirchner: Grateful for support, never imagined these outcomes after 27 years of service.

6. Systemic and Community Reflections

• Dangers of Domestic Calls (31:41):

  • Both deputies underscore unpredictable, life-threatening nature of “routine” domestic violence calls.
  • Context: the suspect was a parolee with prior serious charges, out on bond.

  “Domestics are like the most dangerous calls you could possibly go on. The emotion levels are always higher when people are fighting with the people they love.” — Deputy Matthew Kirchner (31:41)

• Community Response (35:21):

  • Knox County holds a prayer vigil for Deputy Swanger.
  • Vigorous support from the community and further calls for GoFundMe donations for both injured deputies.

  “Both of these deputies have a very, very long row to hoe. And I want both of them to know how much you mean to us, to all of us.” — Nancy Grace (45:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Facing Danger:

  “You don't question what could be in the bushes, what could be in the dark, the boogeyman. You can't see. You do your duty. And that's what he did.” — Nancy Grace (02:41)

• On Trauma in Coma:

  “You hear these people, some of which it sounds like they're telling you goodbye and you just want to scream back... 'I'm not leaving, I'm not going to die,' but you can't.” — Deputy Dalton Swanger (27:01)

• On Seizures:

  “A grand mal seizure is a major seizure that affects the entire body and can actually put a person into an arrhythmia and cause their death.” — Dr. Kendall Krantz (21:06)

• On Ongoing Struggles:

  “It's extremely mentally daunting... I'm kind of in fire with it. But, you know, I've relied heavily in my faith and you know, relied heavily on God for this and that's probably great comfort.” — Deputy Dalton Swanger (39:25)

• On Law Enforcement Sacrifice:

  “We go about our days assuming you're there, when the truth is if you weren't there, we wouldn't be here. Nobody would be protecting us. Nobody would be catching the bad guys and putting them away from us and away from our children. But you do that day and night with no thought of your own safety.” — Nancy Grace (45:46)

Key Timestamps by Segment

| Time | Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:05 | Nancy Grace introduces the story | | 01:30 | Details of the call and ambush in the woods | | 04:33 | Dr. Krantz explains Swanger’s head trauma and progression | | 08:56 | Swanger describes his memory and sensations during the attack | | 12:54 | Kirchner recounts the incident and rescuing Swanger | | 16:51 | Stefania describes learning about the attack | | 18:28 | Stefania details ICU experience | | 22:25 | Describing Swanger in the ICU post-seizure | | 25:21 | Swanger’s experience of coma and hearing loved ones | | 27:01 | Emotional impact of being unable to respond in coma | | 29:23 | Kirchner on the impact of witnessing partner’s injury | | 31:41 | Discussion of the dangers of domestic calls | | 35:59 | Details on Swanger’s tracheal complications and surgeries | | 41:11 | Kirchner discusses his own injury and pending amputation | | 43:58 | Swanger on psychological resilience and will to recover | | 45:04 | Swanger's hallucinatory determination to keep breathing | | 45:46 | Nancy Grace’s call for support and tribute to fallen officers |

Final Reflections

This episode powerfully spotlights the real risks faced by law enforcement, the aftermath of violence, the intersection of medical crisis and family resilience, and the remarkable will to recover. Through first-person accounts, clinical insight, and community response, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace reminds listeners of the human cost behind every police radio call—and the layers of courage, trauma, and hope that define these stories.