BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A “Celebration of Valor’ reception was held to honor the individuals who protected staff and patients at Aspire at Palma Sola Bay after an armed man crashed into the front entrance.
The incident took place back in the early morning hours of May 24.
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Deputies said after crashing into the building, Sean Francis Calcutti, 40, fired his weapon at an employee at the rehab facility who was checking to see if he was okay. He then ran off.
Amid the chaos, employees at the facility called 911 and secured the building.
Once deputies arrived on scene and located Calcutti on the property, a exchange of gunfire took place. Deputy Michael Davis was struck by a bullet. He has since recovered from his injuries.
It remains unclear why Calcutti was trying to get into the building. The sheriff’s office said he had no connection to the nursing home.
Representatives with the City of Bradenton and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spoke at the reception.
“There was not a worse call you can receive in the middle of the night or anytime, when you are told that someone from your family has shot,” Sheriff Rick Wells said.
The sheriff went on to say the actions of two employees at Aspire deserve special recognition. Sam Loyd and Alexia Jackson came face to face with the armed suspect shortly after he slammed through the front entrance.
“Sam, Alexia, because of your actions, there is no doubt that you saved lives. This man was intent to come in here and to kill and because of your quick actions, you prevented that. Even after taking a round, taking a shot… you were able to have the presence of mind to go in and lock those doors and make sure that everyone was protected.”
Both the sheriff’s office and management with Aspire Health Group presented the employees with plaques to honor their actions.
Loyd, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army, said he “wasn’t trying to be a hero.” He said he was just in the right place in the right time and was thankful to have served as a deterrent to keep the suspect out.
“My only thought was to not let him in the building,” he said. “That was my only thought. I wasn’t trying to be a hero or anything, I just wanted to make sure that he didn’t get in here to harm any of the patients or other staff members.”
Loyd said it was an emotional experience to reunite with the law enforcement who responded to the facility.
“To me, they are the heroes because they came and they actually knew what they were going into,” Loyd said. “They knew they were going into an active shooter situation, and they just ran to where I told them he was. They found him, exchanged a few rounds with him and everything to make sure that the patients and the staff in this building were safe and secure which they did an excellent job.”
For the safety of patients and staff, management at the facility announced they are looking into allowing employees to carry guns on property.
“We believe in property training and proper use of force,” said a member of management during the reception.
Discussions were still underway as to what that new policy would look like.
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Source: yahoo.com