Answering the Call to Protect and Serve
/Venus and Lt. Scott Lillis share their story of tragedy, resilience, healing, faith and gratitude
By Vicki Melde
For those who are not personally involved in law enforcement or the armed services or who do not have family members who have answered this call to serve, it is extremely difficult to comprehend how they face life-threatening situations on a daily basis. It takes a profound commitment, not only on the part of the officer or soldier, but equally on the part of their loved ones. The depth of their commitment to their fellow man is truly remarkable.
On August 6th of this year, the Four States area witnessed first-hand the enormous danger – but also amazing skill and training – of the brave men and women who have chosen to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of those in their communities. Fear spread throughout the region when news was released of a manhunt for a murder suspect who was on a rampage in the area, endangering citizens and, unfortunately, taking the life of a Bowie County resident. After the shooting, the assailant fled, crashed in a vehicle, and then stole another truck. After spotting the stolen truck that the assailant was using, Lt. Lillis stopped the vehicle. As he approached the vehicle, Lt. Lillis was shot in the face by the suspect. Had it not been for the heroic intervention of Lieutenant Scott Lillis of the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office, the number of injured or killed would have been much higher.
Growing up in upstate New York, Scott was a typical young man who played football and ran track and field. After graduating from high school, he drilled water wells for a friend’s family who owned a local business. It wasn’t long before he decided to serve his country by joining the Marines.
It was during his eight years of service in the Marine Corps, while stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California, that Scott met the love of his life, Venus. She was finishing her last semester of college at Cal State San Marcos and happened to be attending a friend’s birthday party at a sports bar in San Diego at the same time Scott was there. “Our first date was a trip to the museums in Downtown Balboa Park,” Venus recalled. “We both loved music, art, travel, hiking, fitness, and shared the same faith. We’re both Catholic.” Venus also shared that she came from a family of veterans and police officers, so she understood the culture and Scott’s sense of duty to serve his country and community.
While they were dating, Venus and Scott attended the 2008 Marine Corps Ball.
As their relationship grew, the two took several cross-country road trips together. “One of our favorite spontaneous trips was a two-day 16.5-mile hike into the Grand Canyon,” Venus reminisced. “Of course, it was summer and one of the hardest times to do this hike. It was both very challenging and amazing! Scott and I are very passionate people – when we set our minds to something, we do it.”
After Scott got out of the Marine Corps in 2010, they moved to Texarkana and were married within a year at St. James Episcopal Church. (Their church, Sacred Heart Catholic, was being renovated at the time.) They now have two children – Isla (10) and Ethan (9) to whom Scott and Venus are very devoted. “A lot of our time is spent with them, attending their activities or just hanging out,” Venus explained. “We love being together and getting to create new experiences for the kids.” This past year, they took a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim and enjoyed many adventures around San Diego while visiting family. They’ve spent time the past few summers in New Hampshire visiting Scott’s family at their lake house. “We also love Florida trips, so the kids can play at the beach,” Venus added. “Anything to get us out, experiencing the world.”
The Lillis family also includes their cat, Merlin, and two dogs, Bear and Kodi. Kodi, a German Shepherd puppy, is the newest family member. Isla and Ethan wanted him as a combined birthday gift this year, so he kept them busy all summer learning to take care of their puppy.
Following his time serving in the Marines, Scott began to pursue higher education. He currently holds an associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree in Criminal Justice. He chose law enforcement with the Bowie County Sheriff’s Office for the same reason he joined the Marines – he is passionate about protecting and serving his country and community. “I believe we need people out there helping others in need and protecting the community from crime,” Scott shared. “Sometimes serving the community means answering emotionally charged situations, sometimes it’s putting yourself between criminals and innocents, and sometimes it is working to proactively protect the community from negative influences. Bowie County Sheriff’s Office is a great agency, and they treat you like family, which is why I am very honored to be a part of their team.”
Sheriff Jeff Neal with Scott when he was promoted to lieutenant this year.
While being a part of that team is immensely rewarding, it is also challenging for the officers and their families. Venus displayed a similar commitment to Scott’s when asked about being the spouse of someone whose career is in law enforcement. “Honestly, before this happened, I took for granted that Scott would just always come home safe. My dad has been in law enforcement for 30 years, and my mom was also a corrections officer for some time when I was younger. For a majority of their careers, they were on night shift and working in dangerous conditions. I grew up around police officers, always hearing stories of their experiences, so having a husband in law enforcement feels normal. When you have a spouse in law enforcement you have to learn to trust that they will make the best decision they can to keep themselves and others safe or the fear of what could happen would drive you crazy. Even now, thinking of him going back to work is unsettling, but he’s here for a reason, and we can’t live our lives in fear.”
The ”this” that Venus referred to was a horrific attack on Scott that occurred on an August evening earlier this year during a traffic stop. Remarkably, Scott remembers the details of the entire evening. “After I pulled over the vehicle, I approached the suspect from the passenger side and flashed a light into the rear window to see who was inside. Recognizing the suspect, I backed away from the vehicle, but the suspect did not hesitate and shot me through the back passenger window. I remember feeling the shot enter through my eye and the intense ringing in my head from the impact. Back when I was in combat triage training for the Marines, a corpsman would tell us, if you’re still thinking, you’re still alive. That’s exactly what I thought after the bullet hit, ‘I’m thinking, so I’m still alive.’ I immediately started assessing my situation and called in to dispatch.
“I believe my military combat training played a large role in how I handled the situation that day.”
“I believe my military combat training played a large role in how I handled the situation that day. After realizing I was still alive, I knew I had to begin assessing my situation and call it in immediately, so they had an opportunity to catch the suspect and send an ambulance. I will also share that while I was waiting for others, I felt a spiritual presence around me who somehow assured me that I would be okay. It’s surreal when you think about it after the fact.”
Venus recalled how she learned of the attack on her beloved husband. “On that night, Isla and I were taking an evening walk around the neighborhood. Earlier in the day, I had read a social media post about the man who would later shoot my husband but hadn’t thought much else about it. Fast forward to the moment he was shot while we were walking, and I suddenly saw this same man’s face flash across my mind so clearly. Immediately, I had this awful feeling that Isla and I were in danger, and he could be in the neighborhood. The danger around me felt so real that I rushed us both home. Right before we made it back to our house, I saw my dad in the road running toward my house to tell me about Scott. We met in front of my house on the road, and that’s where I found out. Scott’s friend had called him immediately, so Dad could be the one to tell me. A few minutes later, a unit showed up to take me to the hospital. I didn’t know any information until I got to the ER and saw Scott right before he was flown to UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock). It was quite horrific to look at, and the doctors initially thought he’d be blind in both eyes. After arriving at UAMS, we learned that the bullet had just missed his skull and the only immediate surgery he would need would be on his eyes. It wasn’t until after that initial surgery we learned his vision in the right eye would be okay because glass and metal hadn’t fully pierced through the right eye.”
This 3D image of Scott’s head shows the bullet trajectory and damage he sustained after the shooting.
The bullet and shrapnel is evident in this x-ray of the left side of Scott’s head.
Since the attack, Scott has had three surgeries. The first was to repair the initial damage and remove shrapnel from his face, left ear, and both eyes. The second surgery was to remove the remainder of his damaged left eye globe and to reconstruct the orbital eye socket. The third surgery was to reconstruct the left cheek bone, remove more shrapnel, and remove the .45 bullet from behind his left ear. “He’s working on physical therapy for his jaw, so he can open his mouth wider,” Venus explained. “After each surgery, Scott had lost a little more mobility in his jaw, until he could barely open it. After therapy for about a month, he still has some way to go, but he was able to eat a hamburger normally for the first time this past week. Eating food normally is a huge milestone!” Scott has also been cleared to drive after his last eye visit. Miraculously, he has 20/20 vision in the right eye. He recently had his first fitting appointment for the new prosthetic eye. Venus advised that it was an exciting appointment and hopefully he’ll have a new prosthetic eye soon!
Scott and Venus before his second surgery to remove the damaged eye globe and repair the orbital socket.
Along with Scott’s journey of healing, each member of the Lillis family has had to work through the effects the attack has had on them. The way in which Scott and Venus have approached this with their children is quite inspiring. “We are always very honest and open with our children about how they or we might begin to process and heal from this experience. This healing journey is something we do together so we can all come out of this experience a stronger family and more resilient individuals. We give them space to share their feelings and let them know it’s okay to be angry, cry, ask questions, or take space from it. Everyone’s journey through grief and trauma is different. We also stress to them that we cannot always control what others do around us or to us, but we can control how we respond to those situations and what we do with that experience afterwards.”
Even in the midst of all the physical and emotional challenges he was facing, Scott has still led by example. “He is so incredibly strong,” Venus remarked. “I have never seen my husband in such a horrific state, yet he remained positive, kept his humor, and took it one day at time. Yes, there were days he was in a ton of pain and parts of the recovery process are challenging both emotionally and physically, but he’s really made an effort to stay positive and focus on the blessing of being alive. We know that others who’ve been in his situation have not been so fortunate.”
The Lillis family has helped each other cope and been surrounded by a strong and loving support system throughout this entire journey. “We have been so unbelievably blessed with such a strong support system. The outpouring of support still leaves us speechless, and in the days following this tragedy, gratitude often drowned out the anger, fear, and frustration. Those who have fed us, comforted us, cared for Scott, cared for our children, cared for our fur babies, maintained our yard and pool, donated time off, cleaned our house, picked up the pieces in our absences from work, brought gifts, sent financial support, organized fundraisers, checked in on us, prayed for us, and shared incredible stories of resilience and hope all made it possible for us to focus on Scott’s recovery and our family’s healing during this awful tragedy.”
Through it all, their faith has sustained them, and they live their favorite saying each day … “Let go, and let God.”