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Fort Meyers Police Officer Matthew Zarillo – who lived in Wayne until fifth grade -- was among the backups who responded when fellow Officer Adam Jobbers-Miller, 29, was shot in the head and critically wounded Saturday night after responding to a call of a gunman at a gas station.
Gunman Wisner Desmaret, 29, fired at Zarillo and the others when they arrived at the gas station -- and was then shot and wounded by the officers, Fort Myers police Chief Derrick Diggs said.
Desmaret, who authorities said has a history of mental illness, wasn’t seriously injured, Diggs told reporters. He faces a host of serious charges, including attempted murder.
Jobbers-Miller underwent surgery and remained in critical but stable condition, authorities said.
Jobbers-Miller was a volunteer firefighter in his native Wayne before moving to Florida and joining the Fort Meyers Police Department in September 2015. His father, David, was chief of Wayne Fire Co. 2 for three decades.
Zarillo, 25, who became a Fort Meyers police officer two years ago, had moved to Vernon from Wayne when he was 10.
He was graduated from Vernon High School in 2011, then attended Florida Gulf Coast University, where he made the Dean’s List and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2015.
SEE: Vernon graduate joins Fort Myers police (The Advertiser News)
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