By Police1 Staff
NAVARRE, Fla. — Twenty years ago, Pat Cocciolone and her partner Officer John Sowa were shot six times each while responding to a domestic disturbance in Atlanta. Sowa died at the scene and Cocciolone’s injuries pushed her into retirement and a wheelchair.
“I was lying there waiting for help before they showed up and I would call out to the officer. I say, ‘John. John,’ and he never called back,” Cocciolone told WEAR TV.
The man responsible, Gregory Lawler, was put to death in October of 2016.
Determined to move onto the next chapter in her life, Cocciolone and her wife Connie bought a home in the Florida area, where they will spend their time when they’re not in Atlanta. But the house is missing a necessity: a ramp.
https://www.facebook.com/jackalynkovactv/posts/1306615716096109
Cocciolone reached out to Chris Rubino, who she credits with saving her life, to help her build a ramp to get into her home, the news station reported.
“I was actually a carpenter while I was a first responder, but her call and several others took their toll on me and I decided I needed to get out of the business,” Rubino said.
Rubino said he and his wife reached out to Santa Rosa County Sheriff Deputy A.J. Calabro for help with cement work. Word spread to local departments and they received a bigger response than they expected.
“I had 20 people right off the bat just saying, ‘When? Where? What do we need to bring? Tools? Do you need money? What?’” Calabro said. “And it’s just guys I knew through Facebook. Guys from the fire department, EMS [and] different sheriff office agencies.”
The ramp and the supplies were completely covered. Even her lawn care was taken care of by a local business, WEAR reported.
“Sometimes I can’t say the words I really want to say, I wish I could tell you exactly how I feel. I feel like we have found the place, this is the heart. This is our new wonderful life; it will be here in Navarre,” Cocciolone said.