By Shelley Rossetter and Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writers
Saturday, October 1, 2011
TAMPA — Moments before Hillsborough Deputy Lyonelle De Veaux was shot Friday night, she made a split-second move that may have saved her life.
As bullets headed toward her, De Veaux turned her body, crouched and backed up. She received shots to her upper leg, lower leg and shoulder, deputies said.
She is expected to make a full recovery.
But it could have been much worse, said Larry McKinnon, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"She did what she was trained to do," he said. "Practicing and rehearsing different scenarios helps, because then, when something happens, you don't think, you just react."
That's important for officers who must always be on guard.
In 2009, law enforcement agencies reported that 57,268 officers nationwide were assaulted while performing their duties, according to the FBI ...