Six things to know about Port St. Lucie police sergeant shooting

Port St. Lucie Sgt. Erik LeVasseur was shot twice in the face on Dec. 1 while responding to a disturbance in the Town Park at Tradition gated community.

Here's what to know:

• LeVasseur, a 27-year police veteran, was shot in the face by Frankie Salvatore Riccio, 32, who died in a shootout with officers. 

• Police received two 911 calls: one from Riccio's mother and one from a neighbor, who told police Riccio pointed a rifle at her and told her to go inside her home.

• LeVasseur interviewed Riccio's mother over the phone. Then he organized officers up the block before he took the lead. One of five other officers was in a vehicle while four were on foot to provide cover.

• Riccio was in possession of medical-grade marijuana, and his mother reported he had been using it for days, according to Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk.

• LeVasseur was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce on Dec. 1, where he underwent surgery. He was flown Dec. 2 to an undisclosed hospital and underwent surgery again Dec. 3 to have shrapnel removed from his eye.

• "We feel he's out of the woods," Niemczyk told reporters about LeVasseur, who is expected to survive, but could be left blind.

Latest: Shooting in Tradition may leave PSL police sergeant blind

Gianna Montesano  is TCPalm's trending reporter. You can contact her at  gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com , 772-409-1429, or follow her on X  @gonthescene .

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida Port St. Lucie, PSL cop shooting in Tradition