WASECA — Resiliency and community support were just two of the recurring themes emphasized throughout “The Weight of the Crown,” a documentary which follows former Waseca police officer Arik Matson’s recovery journey from being shot on duty.
Matson was left with significant physical and cognitive challenges after being shot in the head while on duty in 2020.
The documentary follows Matson’s recovery and his journey to Alaska to do the one thing he loved to do the most: duck hunting.
Waseca community members gathered with the Matson family Sunday to watch the film.
Matson said he recognizes the community’s support from the start.
“All the community’s been there from day one supporting our family, supporting the police department and just how this community can get behind first responders, the people that serve them,” he said.
His wife, Megan, added that it felt right to bring the film to Waseca during its premiere week.
“Just the fact that this is where the incident happened, so I felt like it was a good opportunity to bring healing to the community,” she said.
The film highlights how nonprofit Hometown Hero Outdoors helped Matson make his dream of hunting in Alaska a reality.
The story further emphasizes Matson’s message of perseverance and how he’s realized how far he’s come.
“Just because when I woke up, I pretty much was the equivalent of a five-year-old. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk. My mental capabilities were really diminished, so just seeing how far I’ve had to come, how much work I had to put in to be able to go on that hunt,” he said. “All those rehab hours were worth it.”
Hometown Hero Outdoors Interim President Chris Tetrault helped organize the Alaska fundraising and the trip itself.
The organization is active nationally and has helped thousands of people experience outdoor adventures they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
The organization will continue to offer Legacy Trips to people like Matson, he said, in which the recipient of the previous trip will choose somebody else to pass the experience onto.
The trips are open nationally to people who are military, veterans or first responders who have been through a catastrophic experience either physically or mentally.
They then get to pick the top things they would like to do in North America.
“It’s huge. I think that this is a kind of a, it’s a legacy. It’s something that sets forth a precedent for other individuals that there are things they may not be able to do or capable of doing because of the injuries they’ve had,” Tetrault said.
“We have that opportunity to give that to them and then create a relationship for Arik and the others who are going to receive it beyond them just creates this family.”
The Matson family will meet the next Legacy Trip recipient at Hometown’s gala in Stillwater in March.
Within the community itself, support still grows strong for their family.
Waseca resident Jerry Flogstad, who came to watch the film Sunday evening, said he still shines a blue light outside of his house to show support.
“That’s the basic thing we can do is love our neighbor, and it’s so important these days,” he said.
The documentary is available to watch on Hometown Hero Outdoors’ YouTube channel.