Workers honored for helping JSO officer shot last month

Cops have heroes, too. That’s the message the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is sharing on social media to thank the 11 people who rushed out to help save the life of a detective shot in the line of duty.

The JSO undercover detective was shot in March during a traffic stop on the Westside.

That shooting happened just steps away from Partridge Well Drilling Company on Collins Road.

Now that officer is out of the hospital and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 530 awarded the workers' brave actions with a plaque and a "Thin Blue Line" painting.

Environmental driller Richard Canipe said he was in the front office when he heard gunshots.

“Actually heard, 'Pop, pop, pop,'” said Canipe.

“We all kind of ducked at first because, OK, what’s going on?” said well driller Eric Baker.

Canipe said he saw the red and blue lights on the officer’s unmarked car.

“We saw the cop actually fall behind his car,” said Canipe.

One of the first things those workers had to do was pull that officer off of railroad tracks because a train was coming.

“I actually pulled my shirt off and wadded it up and was holding it on his stomach and trying to keep the blood from coming out,” said Canipe. “He was gripping my arm and just, like I said, he kept telling me his badge number and telling me to tell his wife and his son that he loved them,” said Canipe.

The officer’s 14-year-old son was in the car and workers said the bullets barely missed him.

“He was just worried about, you know, the wound in his stomach. He didn’t even know that he had been shot in the head,” said well driller Jackie Padgett.

The workers say the FOP award is an honor, but the bigger honor was being able to help the officer in his time of need.

“I would hope that everybody would do the same thing, what we did for him,” said Padgett.

The 19-year-old accused of shooting that officer, Kevin Rojas, is in jail on four charges, including attempted murder.

Cox Media Group