The San Diego police sergeant who was shot in the head during a harrowing incident in 4S Ranch earlier this month was moved Thursday to an out-of-state hospital for specialized care, officials said.
A video released by the Police Department shows Sgt. Anthony Elliot leaving Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla awake and waving to the hundreds of officers and clinicians who had gathered to send him off. The extent of his injuries and path to recovery was not detailed.
Elliot was shot in the head Dec. 7 during a confrontation with 46-year-old Curtis Harris in a Ralph’s grocery store parking lot on 4S Commons Drive. Investigators said Elliot and three other officers had gone to the store to serve a protection order on Harris.
Body-worn camera footage released by the Police Department shows Harris running away from the officers as they approached him just outside the grocery store. Elliot gave chase and Harris opened fire on the sergeant.
The footage showed Elliot fall to the ground after being shot at least once in the head. The three other officers then returned gunfire and fatally shot Harris.
Since the shooting, police officers and community members have rallied behind Elliot. The Peace Officers Research Association of California is aiming to raise $50,000 to support the injured sergeant during his recovery, according to a fundraising page. So far, more than $43,000 has been raised.
A video of Elliot’s transfer Thursday to the out-of-state facility shows first responders lining the hallways and exit to Scripps Memorial Hospital.
Multiple police vehicles and a helicopter escorted Elliot’s ambulance as it traveled on Interstate 5 to the airport, the Police Department’s video shows. His stretcher was loaded onto a private jet set to take him to the undisclosed medical facility.
