The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says JSO K-9 Officer Jeremy Mason has a long road to recovery after he was shot in the face during a chase and shoot-out with a bank robbery suspect Tuesday afternoon.
Mason was injured and suspect Michael Harris was killed after a pursuit in the Old Middleburg Road area of Jacksonville.
Sheriff Mike Williams says Mason plans to come back to work.
Images: JSO Officer shot in the face
"We talk a lot about men and women at JSO who put their lives on the line every day. It's not a tag line. It's not a slogan. This is an example of that," Williams said. "You've got an officer shot during the pursuit. He puts himself between the suspect - a very violent suspect - and the community, and ultimately winds up taking that suspect down."
JSO said Harris got out of a car he used in the robberies and jumped into car, driven by a woman, during the high-speed chase near Old Middleburg Road
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"She is not a suspect, she's here being interviewed. She may or may not be a victim in this episode today," Williams said Tuesday night. "Here again, this is what they do for the community every day and he'll carry this with him for the rest of his life, so how much is this worth to the community to have men and women like this that do this day in and day out every single day.
Police said on Wednesday afternoon that the woman who was driving that car yesterday was the victim of a carjacking and abduction by Harris.
The gun that Harris was using to shoot at officers was reported stolen out of Taylor County, Florida, in 2012.
Williams was very blunt about the gravity of the situation and the reality this officer is now facing.
Mason’s K-9 was not hurt or involved in the case.