In the fine line between life and death, Montezuma County sheriff’s Deputy Jason Bishop landed on the fortunate side.

Bishop, 28, was one of three law enforcement officers authorities say were shot by three men who were still at large as of Tuesday night. A bullet and a fragment remain embedded in his head, but Bishop has been out of the hospital since Saturday.

"I’m doing pretty good. Still a little sore in the back of the head," said Bishop from his Cortez home during a Tuesday telephone interview.

Cortez Police Officer Dale Claxton, 45, was killed when he stopped the men in a stolen water truck Friday morning on County Road 27 in Cortez. The chase continued into McElmo Canyon, where deputies Bishop and Todd Martin were shot.

Bishop said a bullet remains lodged between his skull and muscle tissue in the back of his head. A bullet fragment lies about one inch above the bullet.

"They’ve decided to leave the bullet in. The doctor is in fear that if they tried to remove it now they’d risk more chance of infection," Bishop said.

If he starts getting headaches or has other complications, the bullet will probably be removed.

As he recuperates, he ponders his good fortune.

The three fugitives came up to him from behind in a stolen flatbed truck, and before he could evade them, bullets started peppering his car. One struck him in the back of the head.

"I honestly don’t know what happened to keep the bullet from continuing farther," Bishop said.

"It’s more than just luck. I think it’s by the grace of God I’m still here."

As of Tuesday morning Martin, 35, was in stable condition at Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, said Deanna Bond, the hospital’s director of marketing. Martin had surgery Saturday to repair his left elbow and a shattered right kneecap.

Cortez City Manager Bill Ray said Saturday that the bullet that hit Martin’s arm ripped away extensive muscle, and that skin grafts were needed to help repair the damage.

No further surgery is planned for Martin. Ray said a full recovery is expected.

As the manhunt continues in western Colorado and eastern Utah, frustration grows among officers who would like to see the cop-killers caught. But Bishop maintains some optimism.