44 | Fourteen Bullets

44 | Fourteen Bullets

From Alive Again by iHeartPodcasts

February 24, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 1 · Episode 44

About this episode

Derrick McManus shares his harrowing experience of being shot 14 times and the journey of recovery and resilience that followed.

On May 5, 1994, South Australian police officer Derrick McManus was shot 14 times in under five seconds and left bleeding on the ground for nearly three hours while a 40-hour siege raged around him. In this raw conversation, Derrick reconstructs those first seconds, the long climb through surgeries and rehab (including a steel plate in his forearm), and the mental frameworks that kept him calm when survival looked impossible. We talk suffering, meaning, and mortality—and what his ordeal ultimately took, gave, and taught him about human durability. Story Producer: Dan Bush If you have a transformative near-death experience to share, we’d love to hear your story! Please email us at  aliveagainproject@gmail.com We’d love to hear your story! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Derrick McManus

Topics covered

  • survival
  • suffering
  • rehabilitation
  • human durability
  • near-death experience
  • mental frameworks

Keywords

  • Derrick McManus
  • survival
  • rehab
  • suffering
  • human durability
  • near-death experience
  • mental frameworks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iHeartPodcasts

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