Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. Levasseur to receive Purple Heart

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie Police sergeant will receive a Purple Heart at a ceremony in Port St. Lucie today.

Sgt. Erik Levasseur was shot twice in the face on December 1 when he responded to a disturbance in the Town Park at the Tradition gated neighborhood.

The gunman Frankie Riccio died in a shootout with police.

Riccio’s mother said he had been using marijuana for days and shot at officers with a rifle when they responded to the home where Riccio lived with his mother.

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Sgt. Levasseur underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from his eye.

A Vietnam veteran who lives in Port St. Lucie, Thomas Matteo, who received six Purple Hearts, is giving one of his Purple Hearts to Sgt. Levasseur.

“I felt that the small token for this officer would be unique. Unique in the sense that maybe society, the people, would realize what a great sacrifice,” said Matteo in an exclusive interview with CBS12 News in December 2025.

“I mean, he was going to help a gentleman that was having allegedly mental issues, a breakdown. He was there to serve him, to help him, and beyond his control, he wound up getting shot.”

Sgt. Levasseur will receive the Purple Heart at the Port St. Lucie Police 4th Quarter Awards Ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the MidFlorida Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place, Port St. Lucie.