Around two in the morning on Jan. 7, Wildlife Agent Tyler Wheeler stopped a vehicle on Highway 165 between Sterlington and Bastrop for “switched tags.”

What started as just a routine traffic stop ended up as a life-threatening situation when Wheeler was shot five times.

The 25-year-old was shot once in the temple, jaw and shoulder, and twice in the arm.

Wheeler, a ULM alum who graduated in 2015, is making remarkable strides in his recovery.

A section of Wheeler’s skull had to be removed after the shooting to prepare for the brain swelling.

Luckily for Wheeler, most of the swelling was gone in just a day.  “I have been blessed throughout my whole recovery and have blown all expectations that doctors had, and even I had, away. I have gotten great results in my recovery process very quickly,” Wheeler told the Hawkeye.

Wheeler attends rehab three times a week in West Monroe.

When not in rehab, Wheeler spends time with his wife and German Shepard, whether it’s going around town or just being around the house.

Wheeler said, “[I’m] living a rarely normal life now that I’m back home.”

Wheeler remains optimistic with his chosen career.

When asked about how this incident affected his outlook on his job, Wheeler said, “this incident has not changed my mind in my career choice, and I actually can’t wait to go back to work. I love my job.”

There has been an overwhelming amount of love and support given to the Wheeler family during their time of need.

Just this past Thursday the Monroe and West Monroe TP Outdoors sold barbeque plate lunch dinners to help out with the hospital expenses.

Stormee Sebren, a senior secondary English education major  and a worker at TP Outdoors said, “even with everything that has happened to him, he’s the strongest person I’ve ever met because he hasn’t let anything slow him down.”

Wheeler is extremely grateful to his supporters.

He said, “the support I have received had been amazing and I could have never fathomed it would be this great of an amount of people doing whatever they could to help.”

As things continue to look up for him, Wheeler said he is thankful to his community and his Lord.

“Keep spreading the love to the rest of our wonderful community,” he said.