PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Police in Port St. Lucie held a news conference Friday afternoon related to a sergeant who was shot while on duty last month and his recovery.
Sgt. Erik Levasseur was discharged from HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce on Wednesday, 37 days after he was shot in the face Dec. 1.
WATCH: Chief calls sergeant's recovery 'miraculous'
The sergeant was shot in the face while responding to a call in the 11000 block of Southwest Lake Park Drive last month. The gunman, Frankie Salvatore Riccio, 32, was killed after shooting Levasseur.
"When we use the word miraculous, there’s no other way to explain it," Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said of Levasseur's recovery.
Chief Niemczyk thanked the many doctors and surgeons who helped in Levasseur's recovery, as well as the law enforcement agencies who assisted the Port St. Lucie Police Department, including the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and Martin County Sheriff's Office.
He added that Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) assisted with getting Levasseur to Miami to get the best eye surgeon.
Niemczyk said the sergeant had a total of five surgeries — three in his facial area and two on his eyes. He’ll need further plastic surgery as well as future procedures on both eyes.
WATCH FULL PRESSER:
Levasseur had multiple surgeries to repair facial injuries, had a wired jaw and was relying on a tracheotomy, according to police. Niemczyk said Levasseur is now reporting no vision in his right eye and shadowy vision in his left eye.
“A remarkable improvement from what we’d seen early on,” he said.
He said Levasseur is confident he'll be back to work, and that it was important to him that he walked out of the rehab facility on Wednesday in uniform, so that he looked as close to what he did on Dec. 1 when he walked into work.
"He knows he survived for a reason," said Niemczyk. "He’s not done. There’s a plan for him."
WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
- GoFundMe organized by the PSL Sergeants Union
- Fundraiser on Jan. 10 from noon to 5 p.m., put on by Men at Arms, 1917 SW South Macedo Blvd. in Port St Lucie
- Charity golf event Golf for Heroes Tournament on Feb. 16
