{"id":79668,"date":"2025-12-11T20:37:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79668\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T20:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:37:07","slug":"port-st-lucie-sergeant-awake-alert-after-surgeries-for-gunshot-wounds-to-the-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79668\/","title":{"rendered":"Port St. Lucie sergeant awake, alert after surgeries for gunshot wounds to the face"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Sgt. Erik LeVasseur is awake, alert, and showing remarkable resilience as he recovers in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital following multiple surgeries after being shot twice in the face during a December 1 <\/a>officer-involved shooting in the Town Park community at Tradition.<\/p>\n

In an update from the police department on Dec. 11, doctors confirm there is no brain damage, and while he currently has no vision, specialists are optimistic that future procedures could improve his prognosis.<\/p>\n

The rounds of surgeries are a result of a domestic disturbance call involving mental health concerns at a home on SW Lake Park Drive. <\/p>\n

Police say at around 6:08 p.m. on December 1, 32-year-old Frankie Salvatore Riccio emerged from the garage armed with an AK-47-style rifle and opened fire. LeVasseur was struck twice in the face\u2014one bullet near his nose and another beneath it\u2014injuries that narrowly avoided major arteries and brain trauma. Officers returned fire, discharging 62 rounds in a firefight that ended with Riccio dead<\/a> at the scene. <\/p>\n

\"Shots<\/p>\n

Shots were fired almost immediately, resulting in Sergeant Erik Levasseur being shot twice in the face \u2014 once beside his nose and once below it. Fortunately, the bullets did not hit his spine or any vital arteries. The suspect, later identified as Frankie Riccio, was shot and killed at the scene. It remains unclear who fired first. (PSLPD | LinkedIn){ }<\/p>\n

LeVasseur was rushed to Lawnwood Hospital, where surgeons wired his jaw shut and performed a tracheostomy to stabilize his airway. He later underwent specialized eye surgery to<\/a> remove shrapnel from his retina. On December 9, doctors successfully removed additional bullet fragments lodged deeper than expected. While LeVasseur currently has no vision, police were told that reconstructive and eye surgeries are planned to improve his long-term outlook. Medical staff confirm there are no signs of brain damage, and his tracheostomy remains in place for future procedures. <\/p>\n

See also: Man injured in shooting on Sterling Avenue in Delray Beach<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, Police provided an update<\/a> saying that Sgt. LeVasseur is reportedly joking with his wife and colleagues. The community has rallied behind him, raising more than $25,000 through the Fraternal Order of Police and organizing meal trains for his family. A solemn motorcade escorted him back to Lawnwood after specialized surgery, led by law enforcement agencies across the Treasure Coast <\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, as is standard protocol for officer-involved incidents. Police Chief Leo Niemczyk praised LeVasseur\u2019s courage and expressed gratitude for the overwhelming community support.<\/p>\n

“He’s a very strong man with a very strong will, and we’re confident that he’s going to make a strong recovery at this point. So we feel he’s out of the woods,” said Niemczyk. <\/p>\n

Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter <\/a>to get the day’s top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel <\/a>for the biggest stories and can’t miss video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Sgt. Erik LeVasseur is awake, alert, and showing remarkable resilience as he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79669,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-79668","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-port-st-lucie","9":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}