Kralicek gets special sendoff for rehab flight
Parked on the Coeur d’Alene Airport tarmac, police cruisers and a Coeur d’Alene Fire Department ambulance activated their lights in silent tribute Monday morning as Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Michael Kralicek departed for a Colorado rehabilitation hospital.
It is unknown how long Kralicek will need to stay at the Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., as he recovers from a gunshot wound to the neck, said Don Jiran, a retired Coeur d’Alene Police lieutenant and family friend.
Kralicek, along with his wife and eldest daughter, was transported to Denver on a Medstar air ambulance airplane. They were escorted to the Coeur d’Alene Airport at 7:30 a.m. by officers from the police department, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and the Idaho State Police.
“There was a total of eight vehicles that escorted the ambulance to the airport just as a gesture of solidarity,” Jiran said. “It’s a close family type of thing.”
Kralicek was shot in the line of duty in a Dec. 28 shootout that killed 39-year-old Michael Madonna of Hayden. Kralicek and two sheriff’s deputies were at Madonna’s home that night investigating the theft of beer kegs from a Coeur d’Alene distributor and a subsequent hit-and-run accident.
According to a review of the shooting investigation by Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas, Madonna slipped his handcuffs twice after being detained, and the second time ran into the house to grab a gun. Deputy Justin Bangs and Kralicek chased Madonna through the garage, but Madonna was able to get into the house to grab a loaded .357 Magnum revolver, Douglas’ review found.
He wheeled and shot twice, with one of the bullets presumably hitting Kralicek in the neck near his spine. An X-ray was not able to confirm the caliber of the bullet, however, according to Douglas.
Kralicek never fired his gun, but Bangs and Deputy Kevin Smart fired on Madonna through the wall. When Madonna showed himself again, Smart fired four times, hitting the suspect in the face, chest and arms, according to the review.
Douglas has cleared the officers involved in the shooting of any criminal wrongdoing, calling the homicide justified.
Kralicek was initially listed in critical condition and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent surgery. He was transferred to Kootenai Medical Center two weeks ago, where he continued to make some improvement in movement and communication – he can speak and move fingers, toes and one arm, Jiran said.
“The guy has a very positive attitude,” Jiran said. “He can hold a conversation with you. He’s picking up more and more in that category as time goes on.”
Kralicek’s wife, Carrie, and two daughters, Amanda, 17, and Alexis, 11, will be living on the Craig Hospital campus and will be very involved in Michael Kralicek’s rehabilitation, Jiran said. The Craig Hospital specializes in rehabilitation and research for patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.
Because no one knows how long it will take for Kralicek to recover, friends, co-workers and total strangers have pitched in to raise money to support the family during the rehabilitation.
A benefit and fund-raiser on Jan. 26 raised more than $100,000 for the family, said Coeur d’Alene firefighter Jake Bieker.