PORT ST. LUCIE — A veteran Port St. Lucie police officer who was critically wounded in a December shooting has been awarded the Law Enforcement Purple Heart, department officials said.
Senior Sgt. Erik Levasseur, a 27-year veteran of the Port St. Lucie Police Department, received the honor by order of the chief of police. The award is given to officers who suffer serious injuries in the line of duty during an active confrontation with a criminal suspect.
The shooting occurred the evening of Dec. 1, 2025, when Levasseur responded to a disturbance involving an armed suspect believed to be under the influence of narcotics in the 11000 block of Southwest Lake Park Drive…