The Mesa County deputy who was shot in the line of duty on Monday will be taken off life support in the next 48 hours.

Geer responded to reports of a bandana-masked man carrying a gun at around 11:06 a.m. Monday in Grand Junction. The 17-year-old suspect opened fire after Geer deployed his taser. He was taken into custody about an hour later.

Mesa County Sheriff Matt Lewis issued this statement Tuesday morning:

I am heartbroken to update all staff that Deputy Derek Geer is in the final hours of his life. He is currently on life support at St. Mary’s Hospital while final arrangements are made for him to provide one last measure of service in the form of organ donation. I am told this could take up to 48 hours.

We will not wait to begin to honor Deputy Geer and his sacrifice. Effective immediately and until further notice please shroud your badge in honor of Deputy Geer. We have posted a uniformed guard on Deputy Geer and will be providing a schedule of our needs if you would like to participate in guarding him. We will begin meeting with his family and working with them to understand their wishes and how we can support them. I will keep you updated as we develop plans with Deputy Geer’s family.

Please continue to support each other and keep Deputy Geer’s family in your thoughts and prayers. I will continue to update as any new information is received.

This has been a tragic and terrible day for the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office but I know if we support and care for each other we will eventually begin to heal.

Deputy Geer is a Navy veteran and has worked with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office since October 2001. He is a husband and father of 2 children, ages 13 and 11.

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