PORT ST. LUCIE — A highly decorated Marine Corps veteran and former police chief has passed on his final Purple Heart to a Port St. Lucie police sergeant wounded in the line of duty, the department announced.
Thomas Matteo, a six-time Purple Heart recipient, gave the medal to the Port St. Lucie Police Department on behalf of Sgt. Erik Levasseur, who was shot during an exchange of gunfire while responding to a disturbance earlier this month.
Matteo enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 1963 and served two tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded six times and received multiple Purple Hearts.
His awards include a Purple Heart with five stars, the Bronze Star, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnamese Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with device, among others.
After completing his military service, Matteo continued serving in law enforcement, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming chief of police for two Florida municipalities. In January 1975, he was awarded the Medal of Valor in Miami, the highest honor for police heroism.
Levasseur was injured Dec. 1 when officers responded to a reported disturbance in the 11000 block of Southwest Lake Park Drive, police said. Officers encountered a man armed with a rifle who ignored commands and began firing, according to the department. During the exchange, Levasseur was shot twice in the face. The suspect was later killed at the scene.
Levasseur was initially taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Medical Center in Fort Pierce for treatment. Police later announced that his condition and medical progress allowed for his transfer to a rehabilitation facility, where he remains under medical care.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting, which is standard in officer-involved incidents.