VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Volusia County deputy who was shot in the line of duty is expected to make a full recovery after what the sheriff called “divine intervention.”
Investigators said the deputy was shot — not once, but twice — and said he owes his life to a piece of department issued equipment.
Deputy Jose Rivera raised his left arm, signaling he’ll be OK, as he was wheeled out of the hospital in a stretcher, Monday night.
He was loaded up into the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and flown to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
Hours earlier, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, Rivera and his rookie partner were out on a call at a home in Deltona before the suspect started shooting.
Rivera was hit twice, once in the leg and once in the chest, before it bounced into his shoulder.
A body-worn camera that is now in tatters, likely saved Rivera’s life.
“If you don’t believe in God, things like this make you believe in God. This could have turned deadly,” said Chitwood. “When you look at a gunfight that’s occurring less than six feet away, and this thing that nobody likes to wear is sitting dead center, it absolutely saved his life.”
Investigators could be seen snapping pictures of a patrol car.
Deputies rescued Rivera out of the gun battle, and drove him to a hospital before he was airlifted to Halifax Medical Center.
Evidence technicians also took pictures of two deputies’ arms and hands.
“Deputy Rivera is an absolute hero. His partner is just as much a hero, those deputies that got him into the back of the patrol car, first aid, got him to the hospital,” said Chitwood
The sheriff said the shooter, Luis Polonco, is in custody, caught by other deputies as Rivera was en route to the hospital.
“As Deputy Rivera is being transported, he’s providing the other deputies with information on who shot him,” said Chitwood.
This incident is an example of how any call can turn in seconds.
“Deputy Rivera is going to make a full recovery, and hopefully he’s back patrolling these same streets again in the near future,” said Chitwood.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter also has a documented history of violence and mental health issues.
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