Officer Luis Mercado III made a quick recovery after getting shot through-and-through a leg at close range and received a hero’s release from the hospital hours after killing the suspect.
That suspect also has been identified as 20-year-old Jamari Rashaud Akins, who had just robbed a Soutel Drive Family Dollar store of $100 after opening on July 9. After his description was radioed to police, Mercado spotted him leaving the scene and chased him down, the Sheriff’s Office said. He got on top of him to handcuff him and Akins fired two shots.
Struck once in the leg, Mercado saved his own life by returning fire and now, as Sheriff T.K. Waters said about the robber, “we don’t have to be concerned with him anymore.”
“It may sound cold, it may sound crass, but if a person will shoot at a policeman for doing his job after he just committed an armed robbery, he’ll shoot at anyone,” Waters said at the scene.
Chief Alan Parker said Mercado instinctively knew what to do and acted quickly.
“The officer actually does a really, really good job and immediately provided medical care to himself, puts a tourniquet on his leg,” he said during the media briefing.
Waters followed up later that day in welcoming him outside the hospital where a few dozen officers and others applauded his actions and recovery.
“I’m glad that his training kicked in, he’s able to survive a very dangerous encounter,” the sheriff said. “This is not an easy job, but he’s shown just what both professionalism and good training does. And I’m so glad he’s able to go home to his family. That’s the biggest thing to me.”
This is at least the third time an officer was shot at this year in Jacksonville, and the second wounded.
This was the city’s 10th police shooting this year and sixth fatal. Last year had a total of eight, with three fatal, according to Times-Union records.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Officer down! But he’s quickly back on his feet to a hero’s release from the hospital
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
