Paul Walker sees justice 14 years after near-fatal bullet

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Roger Dale Tackett was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for his role in the 1990 robbery involving Paul Walker. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Finally feeling closure after more than 14 years of being confined to a wheelchair due to an armed robber’s bullet, Paul Walker admitted he did not believe he would ever see anyone brought to justice for his near-fatal shooting.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see this day come,” Walker said as he sat in the court gallery along with his wife, Sherry, waiting for Roger Dale Tackett, 32, to enter a plea to his robbery. “I’m just grateful the sheriff and his investigators didn’t give up.”

Tackett, who was originally a prime suspect in the pre-dawn Dec. 19, 1990, shooting and robbery of Walker, entered a guilty plea to the charge of especially aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 percent of his time, even though the law governing the crime has changed since 1990. It now requires a 100 percent service of sentence, but Tackett had to be sentenced under the old law.

In entering the plea, Tackett still denied being the person who shot Walker in robbing him of a strong box containing about $500. Tackett admitted being there, but fingered another person for the shooting. Lawmen still think others were involved but Tackett is the only one charged thus far.

Despite Tackett’s continued denial, Walker said he is still pleased with the sentence and holds no grudges against Tackett or anyone else involved in his shooting.

“I got over the bitterness years ago,” Walker said with a smile. “We’re actually living now. The Lord has blessed us.”

Walker operates Walker Tire and Alignment, located just yards from where he was shot outside a nearby gas station he operated. Walker says he has cut his work schedule recently.

“Mr. Walker has inspired me,” said David Puckett, special prosecutor in the case. “When anyone tells me they can’t work because they aren’t physically able, I tell them I have someone to tell them about, someone who has gone to work every day despite what happened to him. He should be an inspiration to everyone.”

Puckett also praised the “relentless investigation” by lawmen who continued working the case even though it was more than a decade old. According to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, putting it in the cold case files was never an option.

“I told Paul and his family that we wouldn’t give up on this. I gave him a promise,” Matheny said.