A time to mourn, a time for thanks
The Southwest Florida law enforcement community mourned the loss of one of its own this past weekend.
Sgt. Michael Wilson, of the Charlotte County’s Sheriff’s Office, was shot to death last Monday while answering a domestic disturbance call at the Lakes of Tuscana Apartments in Port Charlotte.
The fatal bullet entered above the line of his protective vest.
Sgt. Wilson, a 20-year veteran of the force, left behind a wife and three teenage children.
We add our condolences, and our prayers, for both his family and his co-workers for their great loss.
Incidents like this tragically drive home the danger inherent to even the most routine call or traffic stop.
In neighboring Cape Coral, they learned this too well in 2011 when Cape Coral Police Officer David Wagoner was shot three times by a passenger in a vehicle he had stopped for an expired tag.
Officer Wagoner’s vest stopped two of the bullets, saving his life.
A third, though, had hit him in the abdomen.
He was left, injured, at the side of Santa Barbara Boulevard after the man now on trial for shooting him commandeered the Cadillac a friend was driving and sped off.
Law enforcement is a dangerous profession, particularly for those who protect and serve.
Always.
We thank – we most emphatically thank – those who put their lives on the line for us every day.
A fund has been set up for Sgt. Wilson’s family and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has set up a Paypal account for this purpose.
Anyone who wishes to donate to the trust for the Wilson family can go to the Sheriff’s Office’s main public website at www.ccso.org to find a hyperlinked button for this specific Paypal account.
Or they can use the following direct link: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PSLVVRBRM8VJC .
– Eagle editorial